Unwanted Choice
by lovelyangelxox
Summary: When Sasuke and Hinata were younger, they were promised to each other in order to form a bond between two of Konoha's most powerful clans. Now 21, both have been forced into a marriage neither of them wanted. Will they be able to form a bond a husband and wife should have? Or will they be stuck in a loveless marriage forever? Cover art done by an-yy-sue on deviantart
1. One Sad Night

***I do not own Naruto***

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**Chapter 1: One Sad Night**

_3 Months Ago_

Walking through their front door, Sasuke and Hinata were both characteristically quiet. Neither of them talked much to begin with and their marriage to each other hadn't quite changed that, save for the occasional small talk they had when Hinata was cooking dinner or when Sasuke was training in the backyard.

Sasuke turned to look at Hinata as she sat down on the couch; the entire night her eyes appeared to be filled with tears that refused to fall. Yet she put on a brave smile during the whole event, giggling with friends during the reception, refusing to let anyone know what was up. Sasuke had noticed. He always noticed when something was wrong with Hinata. He just never knew how to approach her about it. However, due to the circumstances of what happened tonight, something inside of him made him attempt to seek what was wrong with his wife. "It was a nice wedding", Sasuke said monotonously. He tried to back his words with some tone of interest but as usual, he failed in that department.

Hinata looked up at him when he spoke, a bit surprised he said anything. "Y-yeah, it was a nice wedding wasn't it?" Hinata responded softly, looking down once more. Knowing that without more prodding, Hinata wouldn't say anything more, he mentally sighed and sat down on the couch next to her, leaving a reasonable amount of space between the two. She looked at him for a second when he sat down next to her but didn't say anything. "Did you enjoy yourself?" Half-nodding, Hinata replied "Yes, I did. It was a joyous event after all. It's nice to see Naruto so…"

Hinata trailed off and some of the tears she'd been holding back all night spilled onto her cheeks. Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he saw this but didn't say anything about it. Hinata quickly composed herself when she realized what she did and quickly wiped away her stray tears. "I'm sorry Sasuke," she started, looking at him with a small, polite smile. "I-I just get really emotional at weddings. I'm really happy for the two of them. They deserve happiness."

The way that Hinata said her last sentence got Sasuke's attention. She said it with a type of longing, as thought that was something she wanted for herself but hadn't obtained yet. A silence fell between them and it wasn't long before tears started spilling from her eyes again. She buried her face in her hands and started quietly sobbing, unable to hold her emotions back any longer. Although they had been married for six months at that point, Sasuke had never seen Hinata cry like that. Of course, everyone Konoha had seen Hinata cry at one time or another, especially when they were in the academy together but over the years, she had gotten in control of her emotions and only cried when something truly bothered her.

The way Hinata was crying shot a tinge of pain through Sasuke's body, yet he had no idea why. '_I should do something. I can't just leave her like this' _he thought to himself. Scootching closer to his wife, Sasuke put his hand on Hinata's back, rubbing it soothingly. Hinata quickly looked up at Sasuke, surprised at his actions. Sasuke Uchiha was never known for his show of emotion so him touching her like this, even if it was just an act as simple as rubbing her back, shocked her. Sasuke sensed her eyes on him and he looked at her. Their eyes met and locked while Sasuke continued to rub Hinata's back.

Without warning, Hinata lunged towards him, pressing her soft lips upon his. The usually stoic Ninja became wide-eyed at the kunoichi's actions. The way her lips felt upon his made him want more. He quickly wrapped his arms around her curvy figure and brought her closer to his body. He pressed his lips back into hers, making their kiss deeper and harder. Hinata couldn't help but wrap her arms around Sasuke's strong neck, moving herself into his lap. The bold move from the quiet kunoichi surprised Sasuke, making him smirk against her lips. Not wanting to be upstaged, Sasuke suddenly stood up from the couch, lifting Hinata with him. Their kisses became more passionate as Sasuke stumbled his way into their bedroom.

Finding his way to their bed, Sasuke placed Hinata on the bed without breaking their kiss, moving right on top of her. He liked the way his body felt on top of hers, a position he seldom got a chance to partake in. His hands trailed up and down her figure while their lips worked magic together. Something inside of him stirred and he realized he wanted more of her. Moving his tongue from the inside of his mouth, he grazed Hinata's lips during their kisses, silently asking for entry into his mouth. Hinata's mouth did not budge, making Sasuke frown slightly. He then decided to get what he wanted another way; moving his hand down her back, Sasuke moved his index finger and thumb and pinched Hinata's skin, not hard enough to cause immense pain but hard enough to make her respond. And respond she did – Hinata gasped when she felt the pinch, opening her mouth slightly. This was all Sasuke needed to get in.

He slid his tongue into his mouth, making Hinata's eyes fly open. She wasn't used to this at all but she slowly complied with his action, moving her tongue to wrestle with his. The kisses between them became more heated as each minute passed on. Hinata could feel warmth forming in her while Sasuke could feel something grow within his dress pants. Wanting to continue, Sasuke slowly moved his mouth away from Hinata's, making her look at him in a bit of confusion. He slowly started planting kissing on her cheek and jawbone, making his way down to her neck.

There, he decided to explore to find a spot that she reacted to. After searching for a couple seconds, he heard a tiny gasp. Smirking, he knew he had found a spot to play with. Sasuke started sucking on it playfully, wanting to get another reaction from his wife. Hinata tried to hold back, not wanting to give into this unfamiliar feeling. However, Sasuke was persistent and soon, she found herself moaning softly at his sucks. Hearing her moan turned Sasuke on, and it made him want to give her more just so he could continue hearing those sweet noises from her once more. Sasuke started sucking harder on the spot on her neck and Hinata couldn't help but moan a little louder. "Oh….mhmm…" she breathed out softly as Sasuke worked his magic. "Oh Naruto…"

Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. Hearing that name come out of Hinata's mouth made him stop everything and snap up abrasively. Anger he didn't know existed started boil inside of him and he balled his hands into fists. He looked into Hinata's eyes with a harsh coldness that she had personally never seen from him before. Hinata, taken aback by the look, wondered what was wrong until she realized what she had said. She covered her mouth in shame and tears filled her eyes. Sasuke got up from the bed and stiffly stood up. He turned his back to her and started walking towards the door. "Sasuke wait...I'm –" Sasuke slammed the door to their bedroom so hard that it shook the whole house. He grabbed his jacket, went to the front door and slammed that one as well, heading off into the cool night. Hearing the front door slam, Hinata sat up from her position on the bed. Ashamed and guilty of what has just happened, she put her head to her knees and sobbed in pain.

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**(Thanks for stumbling upon my story! Please leave me any reviews if you can; I'd really appreciate it! It's my first time writing a fanfiction so I'm kinda nervous but I'm also excited to see where this will go!)**


	2. Inner Thoughts

***I do not own Naruto***

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**Chapter 2: Inner Thoughts**

_Present Day_

Hinata had already started cooking dinner when he walked through the front door. She looked up at him, a tiny part of her hoping to elicit any type of response from him but, as usual, he paid her no mind. He walked straight to their bedroom door and closed it, leaving Hinata alone once more. Sighing sadly, she looked down and continued preparing dinner.

_'I'm trying Sasuke, I really am_.'

Ever since that night, Sasuke had become increasingly distant towards Hinata (not to say he was close to her in the first place). Their little tidbits of small talk they used to have diminished into thin air and he hardly looked at her anymore, expect to mumble a quiet "thanks" whenever he had finished his dinner.

The only time Hinata heard actual sentences coming from his mouth was when she would pass by the training grounds to meet up with Kiba and/or Shino and catch a glimpse of Naruto and Sasuke training together.

Seeing them train together was a magnificent treat for Hinata; two of the village's most powerful ninja going head to head put her in a trance. Although she had greatly improved since her genin days, Hinata still longed to be as strong as the two ninja she watched. She didn't ever admit it out loud, but she still wanted to prove to her father that she is a powerful Hyuga, despite what he or others may say.

Walking to the bedroom, Hinata tapped on the door lightly. Her hand was on the door handle, debating on whether or not she should open it. "Sasuke?" she said quietly. No response. She tapped on the door again. "Sasuke? Dinner's ready." Again, no response. '_Maybe he didn't hear me?'_ Slowly, Hinata turned the doorknob of their bedroom. Before she could peek her head in, Sasuke appeared from behind the door. "I heard you," He said unkindly. Their eyes met for just a moment and when they did, all Hinata could see was coldness in Sasuke's eyes. She quickly looked down and nodded, moving away from their bedroom door and into the living room.

Hinata had set up the table the way she always did – she at one end of the table and he on the other. Even though she set the table like this always, Hinata had begun to hate this arrangement after that night. Anytime she would glance up from her plate, his eyes would meet hers with a glare with so much anger that it scared her. She once contemplated moving her table placement to the seat on the right-hand side of Sasuke's, not to be closer to him but so she could go through one meal without having to get that glare from him. She ultimately decided against it, figuring it would be easier to deal with his glares than to feel the loathing he had for her radiating from his skin.

Sasuke, on the other hand, appreciated the distance between them. It wasn't a very long table but any distance he could get, he took. Being the proud and stubborn man he is, Sasuke shrouded his hurt in anger and meanness, just so he wouldn't have to confront the feelings that had been boiling inside of him ever since that night. He made sure to give a glare every time he looked at her so that she could feel pain, just as he did three months ago. If any part of him felt guilty for doing this, he hid it very well.

Hinata didn't bother to look up for the entire meal. If she had, she knew she would've been met with the same response she had received just ten minutes ago. She was going to attempt talking to him today - nothing major, just something as simple as the weather. However, that idea was obviously out of the window with the way Sasuke was acting today.

When Sasuke was finished, he got up, put his plate into the sink, and walked back into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. The sound of the door slamming made Hinata wince but she stood up anyways, moving her plate into the sink as well.

_'He didn't even say "Thanks" today. What did I do wrong now?'_ Tears started forming in Hinata's eyes as she got the sponge to do the dishes. Lathering one plate at a time, her emotions started to get the best of her. Hinata started scrubbing each plate vigorously while fuming to herself. _'I don't understand why he's so angry. I know he didn't want this marriage at all'_. She lost track of what she was doing until she heard one of the plates crack underneath her fierce grip. Annoyed at the world at this point, Hinata dropped the sponge in the sink and plummeted herself onto the couch, not wanting to deal with such trivial things anymore.

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The sound of the plate cracking resonated through the walls and it caught Sasuke's attention, hearing it all the way in the bedroom. For a moment, he thought about checking up on Hinata but decided against it, leaving the fleeting thought be. Lying down on their bed is something Sasuke did every night once he came home from training and once again after dinner. He didn't do much while lying there; he'd just keep his eyes open and think. He'd often think about his already troubled marriage and wondered to himself if there was any point of keeping it.

_'She doesn't love me and I don't love her. We're both only in this for our families. She obviously is still in love with that Dobe Naruto so why should I even bother? I bet she wouldn't mind if I got a mistress. At least a mistress would say my name in bed.'_

Sasuke's thoughts about Hinata were usually harsh and mean but tonight he was even more aggravated. '_Stupid Naruto and his stupid mouth. I honestly want to kill him sometimes.'_

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_Earlier that Day…_

Panting from their intense training session, Naruto had slumped himself against a tree while Sasuke was standing nearby, giving him his trademark smirk. "Beat ya again Naruto. Guess you still have some work to do," Sasuke said, purposely trying to push his buttons. "Shut up Sasuke!" Naruto yelled from the ground. "I almost beat you today and you know it!" In fact, Naruto was close to defeating Sasuke today during their training session. If only he hadn't stumbled upon a rock right in front of him, he would've delivered the winning blow. Instead, Sasuke had time to recover and took that to his advantage. "Yeah, whatever. Make sure you don't trip next time dobe," Sasuke said with another smirk. Naruto got up to hit up but Sasuke simply dodged his attack, letting him fall to the ground.

"You're tired. You should rest up." Naruto simply responded with a "Hmph" and brushed himself off. "I hate to admit it but I guess you're right Sasuke," Naruto said as he started to walk away. Before walking too far, he turned around. "Hey, you wouldn't want to go get some ramen with me would ya?!" he asked, flashing his trademark cheesy grin. Normally, Sasuke would refuse and let him go by himself, but lately he'd been finding every excuse he could to stay away from his house. Rolling his eyes at his dorky former teammate, he started walking with Naruto in the direction of Ichiraku.

Surprisingly, Naruto wasn't in a rush to get to Ichiraku Ramen. In fact, he was walking at an oddly slow place. Sasuke immediately picked up Naruto's oddity and looked at him through his peripheral vision. "What's up with you? You're usually sprinting to Ichiraku at this point" Naruto looked down and kicked a rock. "Well…I dunno. I wanted some advice on something," he said, not looking up at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Naruto took the silence as permission to explain further and said "Well you see…me and the wife got into a big fight last night and now she won't talk to me. I was wondering what you do, you know, when you and Hinata get into a fight."

Hearing this, Sasuke stopped walking. He had no idea how to respond; he and Hinata never got into fights. How could they? They barely spoke to each other. Naruto stopped walking as well and looked at his comrade with concerned face. "Everything alright there?" he asked, wondering why Sasuke stopped so suddenly. Sasuke looked at Naruto and said plainly "Yeah. I'm fine." He started his pace again while Naruto remained stationary. "Teme! I asked you a question!" Naruto was a bit annoyed with his former teammate at this point. After all, he just wanted an answer to his question.

"I don't think I should be getting into your marital affairs, Naruto," Sasuke said as he continued to walk away. "I'm not asking you to get into my 'marital affairs'," Naruto scoffed at him. "I'm just asking you what you do when you get into fights with Hinata. How do you make her happy again?" "Why do you have to make her happy again?" Sasuke rebuffed. "What if it wasn't even your fault?"

"Because everyone knows that a happy wife equals a happy life" The answer to the question came out of nowhere but both Naruto and Sasuke knew who it was in an instant. They turned around to see the last member of Team 7 coming up from behind them. "Sakura?!" Naruto said in a panicky kind of tone. "How long have you been listening?!" "Long enough," the pink haired kunoichi simply stated. She turned to Sasuke with a disapproving look. "Hinata must be real happy with that attitude Sasuke." Sasuke glared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?" "I'm talking about what you just said – 'Why do you have to make her happy again? What if it wasn't even your fault?' Sound familiar?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Sakura. "Butt out, it's none of your business." Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I guess not. But even if Hinata did you wrong, you and I both know that she's probably been trying to fix it somehow. At some point in time you just gotta let it go." Sasuke didn't know how to respond to that statement so he simply continued to glare at her.

After a moment or two of tension, Naruto decided to speak up. "Sakura, I just wanted to say I'm –" "Did you hear something Sasuke?" she asked, paying Naruto no mind. "Because I surely didn't." Sakura started walking past them but paused for a moment to look at Sasuke once more.

"Hinata's a good person. Try and make it work." With that, Sakura continued on her way. "Sakura wait! Come back!" Naruto started running after her, leaving the dark haired ninja all by himself. '_Good riddance. I didn't want any of that horrible ramen anyways.'_

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_Back in the bedroom…_

_'Why is everyone on Hinata's side? Why am I the one who's supposed to fix everything? She messed up, not me. I'm not fixing anything. If it wasn't for my mother I wouldn't be stuck in this mess.'_

_'Mother…'_

Even though both of his parents had set up the arrangement with Hinata's parents, Sasuke's mother had a special role in all of this. Hinata was originally promised to Itachi but Sasuke's mother didn't like that idea, feeling that her youngest son would be a better fit for the Hyuga's eldest daughter.

_'Honestly, what were you thinking?'_

Sasuke's mother was a kind and gentle soul towards everyone she encountered, especially towards Sasuke since Sasuke's father was more preoccupied in training with Itachi. Still, she was a strong jonin level kunoichi and was strict when she needed to be. He would never admit it out loud, but sometimes Sasuke would look at Hinata and see a bit of his mom in her.

_'I'm trying here. But I don't know how much longer I can do this.'_

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**Uh-oh. Looks like Sasuke's at his wits end already. And we're only on chapter two! Thank you everyone who has read and commented on the story! I'm excited to see where this will go myself! I just have to defend Hinata a little bit here though - yes she did a bad thing but how do you know Sasuke's been a good husband for the duration of their marriage? I don't think Hinata's the only one to blame here (hint, hint). It is a marriage after all :P I updated this next chapter quickly but I'm not sure when the next one will be out. College started back up this week (yeah I know, such a drag) so I'll be busy but I'll make sure to write when I can! Until next time! Oh and please keep reviewing! :)**


	3. Hinata's Trouble's

***I do not own Naruto* Thanks for all the reviews everyone! P.S The fact that I've gotten so many views is wild! Ahh I never imagined that many. I'm happy that so many people are along for the ride of this story! Read on :)**

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**Chapter Three: Hinata's Troubles**

Kiba and Shino were the best teammates a girl could ever ask for – Hinata could rely on them for anything, they protected Hinata at all costs and, best of all, they didn't ask questions unless absolutely necessary. That's why training with the two of them was something Hinata looked forward to. It was the one time of the day where her thoughts didn't get the best of her and no one was giving her glares judging her. Shino and Kiba allowed Hinata to feel free.

So when she walked to the training grounds the next day looking like she barely had gotten any sleep, neither of them asked questions. When she started her training without any warning, causing Kiba and Shino to barely dodge her attacks, they didn't say a word. It's only when she drove her first through one of the tree trunks that they decided to say something.

"Hinata?" Kiba asked cautiously. "Is everything…" He paused for a moment, afraid she might punch him at this point.

"What our friend is trying to ask is if you're alright," Shino interjected. "Why? Because you just drove your hand through that tree. Something is troubling you."

Panting heavily, Hinata looked down at her hand, finally noticing all the splinters she received from driving her hand into the tree in front of her. Her hand was severely scratched and bloodied but surprisingly, she didn't feel a thing. She looked up and cringed at the sight of the training grounds, finally noticing the damage she had down to the place. The whole entire place looked like it was a battlefield. Her legs, tired from all of the energy she exhausted, collapsed from underneath her. Kiba rushed to grab her body from hitting the ground, setting her down gently before sitting next to her.

"I'm…I'm fine," Hinata finally said, looking at the ground in front of her with an expressionless face.

Kiba raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. "Hinata don't lie to us. We're your teammates and –"

"Former teammates" Shino corrected, noting the fact that they were past the age of being in teams.

"Okay thank you Shino," Kiba said in a strained tone, shooting him a quick glare. Shino just shrugged in response as Kiba continued. "Like I was saying before, don't lie to us. We're your friends. We have been for years. Just tell us what's wrong."

"Really. I'm fine," Hinata relented softly.

"Hinata, it would be wise to tell us what's going on. It's either that or Kiba will find out for himself." Shino said, moving to stand in front of her.

"Hate to admit it but Shino's right. I'm a stubborn ass when it comes to the people I care about," Kiba said with a proud tone. Hinata couldn't help to smile a little bit when he said that. Memories of his antics while they were teammates flooded her mind, lightening her mood a bit.

Seeing that smile, Kiba smiled as well, nudging Hinata's shoulder. "There's the smile we love. Haven't seen that in a while." The smile on Hinata's face grew even bigger. Kiba always had a way of making her smile, even when she didn't want to.

"So Hinata, what did Sasuke do to trouble you like this?" Shino asked in his soft tone.

Hinata looked at Shino, surprised that he had figured out the root of her problems.

"How did you know it was about him?"

"Who else would cause you drive your hand straight through a tree?" When Shino said this, Hinata's hand began hurting, causing her to wince in pain. Shino and Kiba exchanged glances. "Maybe we should take you to the hospital to get your hand checked out," Kiba offered. Hinata simply shook her head.

"I can heal myself you know. I do have medical training."

"We know," Kiba said, standing up, lifting up Hinata bridal style in the process. "But we'd prefer someone else looking at it. Someone like Sakura."

"Kiba put me down," Hinata softly protested even though she knew he wouldn't listen to her. "I'm perfectly capable of walking by myself."

"Maybe so Hinata, but Kiba and I don't want to take the risk of you running off. It'll be good for you to see Sakura. Maybe she can help you out with your problems." Before Hinata could spout out a protest towards Shino, Kiba and him started dashing to the hospital, Hinata in tow.

'_I don't really need to see Sakura. I don't think she can help at this point.' _Hinata thought to herself. Hinata and Sakura hadn't been close friends growing up but grew close when news of her engagement to Sasuke broke to the entire town. Initially being mad at her, Sakura, along with Sasuke's other fan-girls, would make snide comments behind her back and chase her around town, chastising her. However, she soon realized that Hinata wasn't to blame for what was happening and started protecting her from the rest of Sasuke's jealous fan girls. However, the pair hadn't even spoken for a few months, mainly due to Hinata avoiding Sakura at all costs.

Finally at the hospital, Kiba and Shino took Hinata inside and requested Sakura, waiting with Hinata until she was available.

"Hinata?" Sakura said with a bright smile on her face when she saw old friend in the waiting room. "I haven't seen you in a while huh?" Noticing Kiba and Shino sitting next to her, a worried expression quickly took over her face. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine," Kiba said, starting to explain. "We were just training and Hinata went a little…overboard. It's mainly her hand and while she insisted she could heal it herself, we brought her to you instead."

"Why?" Shino said, picking up where Kiba left off. "Because we thought it would be best if Hinata had a…female to talk to." Sakura gave Shino a questioning look. Kiba just shook his head, knowing his friend wasn't the best at explaining things. "What he means to say is we think this is deeper than just going overboard with training. She needs someone in her situation to talk to."

Still a bit confused on what the two meant, Sakura just smiled and sent them on their way home. She led Hinata to an examination room and began to look at Hinata's hand. "So what were those two talking about anyways?" Sakura said as she began healing Hinata's hand. Hinata stayed quiet for a bit, not really wanting to talk. Sakura picked up on this and didn't say anything more while healing her hand.

Once she was finished, she looked up at Hinata. "So what's up?" Sakura started. "I haven't seen you in months! Actually I haven't seen you since –" "I know," Hinata interjected quickly, interrupting Sakura. "I-I'm deeply sorry for that." Hinata hung her head down in shame, a habit from childhood she hadn't let go of. "I just thought you were busy."

"I was, but I wasn't always busy you know. I must've called you about 10 times. You never picked up." Silence fell between them again. Hinata couldn't deny that Sakura did call her numerous times. She just couldn't admit to Sakura that she was avoiding her phone calls like the plague.

Sakura was very patient with Hinata, more patient than anyone else she encountered. Still, the silence was getting on her nerves. "Hinata, what's bothering you?"

Hinata kept her eyes on the floor, not wanting to look up because she knew if she did, Sakura's eyes would force her to tell the truth. "Nothing's wrong," she said in a tiny voice. "I'm fine."

Sakura kept herself from rolling her eyes at this girl. Taking a deep breath, she put on a smile. "I have a break soon you know," Sakura began, looking at the clock. "Actually, it's supposed to come right now. Let's go to the bar and get lunch."

Hinata wanted to protest but when she looked up at Sakura, she knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. "A-alright Sakura."

Hinata stood up from the examination table and soon, the two of them headed down the road to the local bar. The bar, minutes away from the hospital, wasn't the best in the village. It was a bit run down and most of the people who went there where people who had nothing better to do with their lives. However, the place had became sort of a refuge for Hinata and Sakura; during the days when Sasuke's fangirls were trying to get rid of Hinata anyway they could, she and Sakura would hide in the bar, knowing those stuck-up girls wouldn't dare step foot in a place like that. Their visits became so frequent that there was a moment in time when all the regulars of the bar knew their names. They continued to come once Hinata was married but that all of that stopped months ago.

Arriving at the bar, Hinata gave it a once over, noting that nothing had changed from the last time they were there together. _'At least there's one thing in my life that hasn't changed,' _she thought to herself. Sakura and Hinata slid into one of the booths and looked over at the menus. Hinata didn't really need to look at the menu because she ordered the same thing every time, she just wanted to avoid talking to Sakura.

Hiding behind the menu, Hinata took in what was going around her – the local drunks trying to have intelligible conversation, the sound of the fryer in the back, the clinging of glasses and the faint smell of cigarette smoke hanging in the air.

"Hinata?" Sakura said, breaking the silence between them. Slowly, Hinata moved the menu away from her face. "Yes?" "The waitress is here." Looking up she saw the waitress standing there kind of impatiently. "Oh I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Hinata rambled off her order quickly and the waitress wrote it down. Once the waitress walked away, she could feel Sakura's eyes on her. She mentally sighed and managed to make eye contact with her old friend for only the second time that day. Sakura's emerald eyes were soft and inviting, reminding Hinata of all the close talks they used to partake in.

"So besides today, how's training been going?" Sakura asked politely. She knew it was best to try to roll into the subject of what's been bothering her friend so she started with a subject that she knew Hinata would respond to.

Some of the stress went away from Hinata's fact when she heard that question. Taking a small breath, she began her answer. "It's b-been good. Shino and Kiba keep it c-challenging but I appreciate it because I-I want to get stronger." Hinata mentally scolded herself for stuttering so much. Hinata had managed to stop stuttering in normal conversation but the hindrance managed to make itself known whenever Hinata was nervous or stressed.

Sakura smiled at Hinata's answer. "That's good. I'm glad you still get to train with them often. I'm always in the hospital so I rarely get to train with Sasuke or Naruto anymore."

Sakura was about to say something more but she paused when the waitress brought their drinks out. Taking a sip from her straw, Sakura started up again. "But I love training under Lady Tsunade. She's very helpful, at least when she's not drunk."

Hinata laughed when she heard this, knowing that the Hokage was know for partaking in some Sake every now and then. Sakura smiled when she saw her friend laugh, making her feel good inside. She felt that this was a good time to inch into the subject Hinata didn't want to talk about. "Hey Hinata…speaking of Sasuke…how is he?"

Hinata's smile quickly disappeared from her face. She looked down at her drink and just stirred it with her straw. "You know, th-the weather's b-been really n-nice lately hasn't it? Maybe we should – "

"Hinata," Sakura said, breaking up Hinata's sentence. "Look at me." Hinata didn't want to but she complied anyways. She look at Sakura's face, holding her eye gaze. "Is something going on between the two of you?"

Hinata didn't say anything for a while. She tried thinking of different ways to change the subject but she knew that each way she tried, Sakura would find a way to tie it back to Sasuke.

"No," Hinata finally said meekly. Sakura frowned and Hinata realized she would have to give Sakura something for her to back off.

"We're just…having arguments right now. It'll pass."

Sakura looked at her friend with kindness in her eyes. She reached out to take Hinata's hand, holding it with support. "Every couple has their hardships. It'll get better. You know you can come to me for anything right?"

Touched by Sakura's kindness, Hinata couldn't help but tear up a bit. She began to think about all the times she would come to Sakura to talk about her new husband and her trouble trying to talk to him.

* * *

_5 Months Ago_

"Hinata please stop crying. Sasuke can be a jerk sometimes," Sakura said, handing Hinata a tissue. "Believe me, I know," she added with an annoyed tone. She held Hinata's hand as she started to hiccup, trying to stop her tears from falling.

"We've been married for a month but he-he barely talks to me," Hinata managed to mumble out through her tears. "I've been trying. I really have. I try having conversations with him all the time but all he says is 'hmm', 'yes', or 'no'." Hinata dabbed at some of the tears at her face but it wasn't much use because new tears fell in their place. "I don't know what I should do."

Sakura listened to all of Hinata's words, nodding and handing her more tissues as she spoke. "Listen, I know this marriage wasn't something either of you planned but now you should make the best of it. Sasuke will warm up to you. I just know it."

_'I hope he will, for Hinata's sake at least,'_ Sakura thought to herself. _'The girl deserves at least that much.'_

"You think so?" Hinata said with a hopeful tone, her tear-stained eyes looking directly at Sakura. "I'm sure of it!" Sakura responded.

_'A little white lie never hurt anyone. Plus, maybe Sasuke will change. Hinata's the best girl in Konoha, even better than…me.'_ Sakura was still torn up about Hinata's marriage to the former love of her life but she was starting to let go, as she finally found someone who cared for her as much as she cared for Sasuke.

Hinata flashed a little smile, making Sakura smile back in return. "That's the spirit!" she said happily. "Now, let's get out of this bar. I'm sure your husband's waiting for you!" Hinata nodded, smiling again as the two walked out of the bar together.

* * *

_'Sakura's my friend. I shouldn't avoid her. It's rude of me. And here she is, still caring about my well-being.'_ Hinata thought to herself, bringing herself back to her current situation.

Looking at her friend in front of her, she managed to show a brave smile. "I know. And I'm sorry I-I haven't come to you lately. I didn't want to be a burden."

"Hinata, you could never be a burden to me," Sakura said gently. "You're one of my closest friends and by far the kindest. Ino-pig treats me horribly and I still call her my friend." Hinata giggled at Sakura's name for Ino even though she knew it was a bit impolite to laugh at a name like that.

"But really, please come to me for anything," Sakura continued. Like I was saying, it's normal for couples to argue. Just the other day, Naruto and I had this fight because he…"

Hearing Naruto's name with Sakura's caused Hinata to get a horrible feeling inside of her stomach. _'Now I remember why I can't be around her,'_ Hinata thought to herself. _'She managed to get the one man I ever loved…'_

* * *

_4 Months Ago_

"…and then he still refused to saying anything except 'hmm' after my long story of training." Hinata and Sakura were in the bar once more and Sakura was trying to listen patiently to Hinata complaining about Sasuke once again. "Sakura, I don't think he likes me very much."

"Hinata like I said before, Sasuke will warm up to you. If anything, the fact that you're his wife gives him the obligation to care for you right?" "I guess so…" Hinata said uncertainly. "Only time will tell."

The entire time they were at the bar, Sakura had been bouncing up and down, fidgeting like crazy as if something was on her mind. Hinata had picked up on it but only bothered to say something at this moment. "Is everything alright Sakura?" she asked with a concerned tone. "You seem anxious."

Sakura looked at her friend with a big smile. "I thought you'd never ask!" she exclaimed, bringing attention to herself from onlookers in the bar. "Sorry!" she yelled to the bar patrons, who at that moment went back to their drinks and sorrows.

"Well you see…I…I…" Sakura was so excited that she couldn't get any words out. "Sakura?" Hinata said, trying to get a response from her.

Incapable of forming a complete sentence, Sakura flashed Hinata her left hand. On her ring finger was a simple, but beautiful gold ring with a nice sized diamond on it. When Hinata saw this, her eyes widened in excitement and hugged Sakura quickly. "It's beautiful! I'm so happy for you!" Hinata said happily. "I didn't know you were dating anyone!"

Sakura giggled like a little school girl. "I know. He and I weren't really public with it but now we just want the whole world to know!" Hinata couldn't get her eyes off of Sakura's ring; even though Hinata's ring was very impressive, even by Hyuga standards, the simplicity of the ring took Hinata's breath away. Even though she was the heir to the clan and treated like royalty, she never did like flashy things. Finally looking back up at her giddy friend, Hinata finally asked "So who's the lucky guy?"

As soon as Hinata asked the question, a big smile grew on Sakura's face. "I know you'll never believe it – it's Naruto!"

The mention of Naruto's name caused a lump to form in Hinata's throat. "Naruto?!" she asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah!" Sakura said happily. "After your engagement and marriage with Sasuke happened, I was really depressed but Naruto cared for me and made sure I made it to work and training and…well…love just grew." At this point, Sakura looked like a love sick puppy – Hinata just looked sick.

"Really?" was all Hinata managed to say. She felt herself become dizzy from the news, making her fall over in her seat a bit. Sakura reached over to grab her but Hinata caught herself.

"Hinata are you okay?" Sakura said, wondering why her news had caused Hinata to faint. Situating herself, Hinata looked at Sakura. "Y-yes, I'm-I'm okay" Hinata replied softly.

"Okay good, I was worried something was wrong. Anyways, I'm so excited! I'm glad he proposed to me! I know some people might say that it's too quick but I don't care!" Looking at Sakura's face, Hinata knew that her friend was the happiest person in the world at this moment. So why did she feel so horrible?

"I really love him, Hinata. I know, I was such a jerk to him in the past but I finally realize what I've been missing. I love Naruto."

_'"I love Naruto."'_

The phrase echoed in Hinata's mind, bouncing off every inch and crevice of space she had inside of her brain until she couldn't take it anymore. Tears started flowing from her eyes. She was happy for Sakura but at the same time, she was devastated; she knew she couldn't have Naruto because of her marriage to Sasuke. Yet, she still couldn't let go of her love for him. Sasuke acting distant towards her didn't help matters either. In fact, Sasuke's actions only made Hinata wish even more that she could be with Naruto somehow. Now, that could never be. The one person she confided in, the one person who knew Sasuke almost as well as she knew herself, was marrying the only man she'd ever love. And there was nothing she could do about it.

A swirl of emotions raged inside of Hinata and it made her sick. She didn't know how to decifer any of them. Luckily for her, Sakura seemed to be oblivious to Hinata's devastating sadness. Sakura mistook Hinata's tears for tears of happiness, causing Sakura to tear up as well. She embraced Hinata tightly in a hug and said "Isn't this great Hinata?"

Hinata responded by breaking down into a current of tears.

* * *

Since that day, the only other time Hinata cried that hard was when she called Sasuke by Naruto's name. But hearing Sakura talk about Naruto brought up all of those emotions again and already, Hinata could feel the tears wanting to pour out of her. But she wasn't going to cry, not this time.

"...and so I hit him right in the face and I didn't even feel bad about it. Hinata? Are you listening?" Sakura broke Hinata's thoughts finally. Hinata looked at Sakura and stood up before any tears fell. "I-I have to go. I-I'm so-sorry Sakura." Hinata started to bolt out of that restaurant like there was no tomorrow.

"Hinata wait! We haven't even eaten yet!"

She heard Sakura shout out but she didn't care. Hinata practically sprinted down the street, bumping into people with no regard for their safety but she didn't care. She didn't care about their feelings. She didn't care about Sakura's problems with Naruto. She didn't even care that she looked like a maniac at this point.

She made it to her house and did a quick scan, making sure Sasuke wasn't there. Once she knew it was clear, she locked herself in the bathroom and looked into the mirror.

_'Kami, why am I in this marriage? Why does Sakura get to be so happy when I'm so miserable? Why is she with Naruto? It's not fair. I don't love Sasuke. Sasuke doesn't love me.'_

Hinata fell to her knees and stared at the ground. Tears came pouring down and for once, Hinata didn't try to stop them. _'There's no point. I give up.'_

For the first time in her marriage, Hinata felt truly defeated.

* * *

**I don't think I've been clear in the timeline for my story so I just wanted to get it all straightened out now: Currently, Sasuke & Hinata have been married for 6 months while Sakura & Naruto have been married for 3 so they were only engaged for a month before getting married. Does that clear any confusion you have? If not, tell me and I'll try to make it more clear as the story goes on! Also, I know Hinata might seem a little dramatic at this point but I did that on purpose. ****How would you feel if you were in that situation? **The purpose of this chapter was to show why Hinata was acting the way she was that night. The next chapter will bring Hinata and Sakura back together for some interaction (reminder: I'm in college so chapters may not come as fast as I'd like them to). Anyways, thank you for reading! Please continue to review! I appreciate it :)


	4. Realization

**Thanks for everyone who continues to read! Read on :)**

***I do no own Naruto***

* * *

**Chapter Four: Realization**

"See ya later Sasuke!" Naruto called out to Sasuke as he got ready to leave. Today involved another hard but rewarding training session, leaving Naruto with a grin as always. Sasuke nodded and watched Naruto quickly sprint home again, no doubt in trouble with Sakura for something else now. Sasuke took in a deep breath as he got up from the tree he was leaning against and started walking in the opposite direction, going home himself. He looked up in the sky as he started his walk, admiring how the sky looked now that the sun was setting. The cool air of dusk started to surround him but Sasuke didn't pick up his pace; he enjoyed the cool air, anything to relieve him from the heat Kohona had been getting recently. Getting closer to his house, Sasuke thought about heading in right away but ultimately decided against it.

Sasuke spent the next hour wandering around Kohona. He passed a few people he knew along the way and nodded to them before walking on but, for the most part, people left him alone. Even though it had been a few years, some people were still not happy that Sasuke had come back to the village. While he understood why, he thought people should just mind their own business and get over themselves. Almost back to his street, Sasuke was about to round the corner when he heard the one voice he never cared to hear.

"Sasuke!" _'Damn it,' _Sasuke thought to himself. _'Where did he come from__?'_

"How are you my friend?!" The person jumped out from a bush, revealing himself to be none other than Lee.

"How long were you in that bush?" Sasuke asked, obviously annoyed.

"A couple of hours! A ninja should always be ready for attack!" Lee shouted this, his enthusiasm for life never-failing.

Sasuke started to walk away, not wanting to engage with pleasantries with him any longer. "Sasuke wait! How is Hinata?!" Sasuke just shrugged, not bothering to stop his pace.

"I hope your marriage is well!" Lee cried out as Sasuke walked away. "May your marriage be forever youthful and may it produce youthful young ones!"

_'This guy is ridiculous' _Sasuke rolled his eyes to himself as he finally got to his house. He unlocked the front door and walked in.

* * *

When Sasuke came home , he expected the same thing he always got: a clean house, the aroma of a hot dinner cooking, and a wife who didn't love him. However, he opened the door and found none of the above. _'Where is she?'_ he asked himself in his mind. An uneasy feeling most would interpret as worry washed upon him but he quickly waved that away.

Sasuke walked down the corridor that lead to his bedroom and opened the door. He stepped foot in the room and found Hinata sitting on the bench in front of their chest of drawers, staring straight into the mirror. Sasuke looked at her and he knew she could feel his presence.

"H-hi" Hinata said softly, turning to face Sasuke. Hinata tried to hold her head up but it wavered due to everything held inside of it. Sasuke only nodded in response to her. He put his training bag down on the floor before turning around to leave, only to be stopped by the next words he heard.

"Sasuke…I-I'm sorry," the meek kunoichi said quietly. Sasuke didn't turn around, not knowing how to react. He had waited for those words for three months and now that he heard them, he didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry. F-for the w-way I a-acted that day. The day of…Naruto's wedding." Sasuke listened, still standing in the doorway.

"I've b-been trying to make it up to you ever s-since that d-day." _'Curse this awful stuttering,' _Hinata thought to herself. "B-but I-I just realized now that I…never said I'm sorry. That makes me an awful person."

Indeed, Hinata felt truly sorry. After her breakdown, she cleaned herself up and moved into the bedroom to clear her mind and think. It was something she hadn't let herself do in a while and felt that her current situation seriously called for it.

Sasuke stayed standing at the door. As always, his face was emotionless. _'So you're sorry…so what? Why should I care?'_

Once again, Sasuke prepared to leave before Hinata started to speak again. "B-but you should know why I-I…did what I did that night. W-why I-I…called out Naruto's name."

The mention of the incident caused a pain to shoot through Sasuke's body but he didn't show it on his face. He slowly turned around and faced Hinata, his black eyes staring into her lavender ones. His stare sent a shiver down Hinata's spine; she didn't know whether to interpret it as one of fear or arousal.

"I haven't b-been the best wife. I-I know that. But you haven't been the best husband either." Hinata paused, wondering if Sasuke was going to say something. His stare never faltered but his mouth didn't open so she continued.

"You're cold Sasuke," Hinata said bluntly, something that truly shocked Sasuke. He didn't know his wife had it in her to be so brutally honest with people. "You'd leave me alone for days on end, making me worry about you endlessly. Then, you'd come back and not speak to me at all. I tried speaking to you about anything – the weather, training, even Sakura."

_"Sakura is annoying as hell. That's the reason I-"_

"But you ignored me," Hinata continued, interrupting Sasuke's inner thoughts. "You ignored me. And it hurt." Hinata, still afraid of Sasuke's glare, had gained enough confidence to lose her speech impediment, something Sasuke took note of.

"I even tried connecting with you in other ways…physical ways…and you ignored me every time."

Sasuke couldn't deny anything that was coming out of Hinata's mouth; he had ignored her and he had to admit he was distant – that was just the way he was. Even thouugh Hinata continued to talk, her mention of his denial of physical intimacy elicited a memory in his head. He tuned out Hinata's words as the memory began to play out in his mind.

* * *

_"Sasuke...it's late. Come to bed." Hinata and he were sitting on their couch. She had just finished reading a novel while he was meditating quietly. "You go. I'm not tired yet." Sasuke had said simply, not bothering to open his eyes. Hinata looked at him and touched his hand. "Sasuke...please." Sasuke opened his eyes at her touch. There was a glint in Hinata's eyes that Sasuke picked up on and immediately he knew what she wanted. __"Hinata, go to bed. You're tired." _

_Hinata didn't listen. Instead, she moved closer towards him, inching until she was right up next to him. Her face blushed and she moved herself so that she was sitting on top of Sasuke, straddling his hips. "Sasuke...I-I..." She looked at him with so much wanting. Sasuke felt the heat between them and lost his concentration. Hinata had hinted at this for weeks but Sasuke pretended to be oblivious, hoping that she would get discourage. He looked at his wife and realized that she was more determined than ever. Hinata moved her head closer to her husband's, inching closer and closer. Sasuke began to lose his composure, leaning towards Hinata as well. The bold Hinata turned him on and it was difficult to ignore that feeling. However, he managed to stop midway before their lips touched. Looking away from her, he lifted her off his body, placing her on the cushion she was on before._

_"Go to bed," he said distantly. "You're tired."_

_He didn't look back in her direction to know she had left. His only indications were the sounds of footsteps and suppressed sniffling as she walked away sadly towards their bedroom._

* * *

"But the thought of Naruto always made me happier." Hinata's mention of Naruto made Sasuke snap back into the conversation. "He makes everyone he talks to feel important and he helps others get stronger – he's helped _me_ get stronger. So when he decided to marry Sakura, it crushed me. A tiny part of me always thought he'd come rescue me from this loveless marriage but reality made it clear that would never happen."

"So that night, I wanted comfort. When I kissed you, I knew it was you. I knew it was you who was making me feel better. But my mind always associated Naruto with happiness so unconsciously…I said his name."

After she had finished explaining herself, a heavy silence fell in the room. Hinata was thinking about what else to say while Sasuke was just trying to take everything in. Finally, Hinata stood up from the bench and walked over to Sasuke. She didn't get too close to him, but close enough to make him turn around to face her. "Sasuke…do you want this marriage at all?"

Sasuke knew the answer to this immediately but didn't answer right away. "No," Sasuke finally uttered, his eyes on Hinata. Hinata looked down again; the words coming from Sasuke's mouth weren't surprising to her at all but it still made her hurt inside for some reason. Hinata sighed and nodded. "Right," she said softly. "Then maybe we should…not be married anymore."

Hinata's suggestion truly surprised Sasuke. His inflated ego expected her to be begging on her hands and knees to stay with her. He knew that this marriage was important to both of their families and Hinata's father would be furious at her if she messed this up.

"You mean get a divorce?" Sasuke asked, eyes still fixated on her.

She nodded, finally looking up at Sasuke once more. "Y-yes."

"Uchias don't give up on a promise." The words came out of Sasuke's mouth in a matter-of-fact tone, as if Hinata should've known this from the beginning. Sasuke finally left the room and headed towards the living room to sit on the couch. Hinata followed him and sat on the couch next to him, leaving much space between the two of them.

"Hyugas don't give up on promises either you know," Hinata started softly. "But look at us – we're not in love." The sad tone in Hinata's voice was clear but Sasuke didn't respond to it.

"People will start to wonder soon why we're never seen together in public. Or why, when we're together, we don't seem happy. Eventually people will start to ask...why we don't have children."

Sasuke mentally sighed. He knew Hinata had a point but his stubbornness and pride was still burning inside of him. "We're not getting divorced" Sasuke said in a low tone.

"If you're worried about blame, people won't blame you. They'll blame me. Everyone always blames me and you can just find ano –"

"We are NOT getting a divorce." Sasuke said this with such fierceness that it caused Hinata to gasp and jump back in her seat.

"I-I-I…" Hinata started but didn't finish. She was too afraid to say anything at this point. Tears formed in her eyes and she stood up. "I'm s-sorry Sasuke. I-I j-just thought this is what you wanted. I know you hate me." Hinata started to walk away, ashamed in herself that she had messed up once again.

"I don't hate you." Hinata paused when she heard the voice call out behind her. She turned around to look at Sasuke. "Y-you don't?" she asked so quietly that Sasuke strained to hear her.

"No."

"But you don't love me either."

"No."

"Then what are we?"

Sasuke just stared at Hinata, keeping his composure. He had wondered the same thing ever since the pair married. The fact that both shared the same thoughts made Sasuke realize that they might have something in common after all.

Sasuke looked towards the window in their living room. "Look, my mother wanted this for me. The least I can do is follow her wish." He looked towards Hinata and saw that she still had that same look in her eyes, causing him to give a disinterested one back. "You wouldn't understand."

"I-I do." Hinata inched forward from the corridor. "My father wants this for me as well. He think it's the best way I can redeem myself in the eyes of the clan." A teardrop fell from Hinata's eyes.

"Even after all this time, everyone thinks I'm a disappointment."

Sasuke hated when Hinata teared up or started crying. He never knew what to do and he hated feeling useless. "Hinata look," Sasuke started as she wiped away the stray tear. "You're not a disappointment. The fact that you married me for your family shows that you're dedicated to them."

"Y-you think so Sasuke?" Hinata asked quietly but with a more cheerful tone that before. Sasuke just nodded in response. Even though the response wasn't verbal, it made Hinata feel better.

"Thank you Sasuke." Hinata felt like hugging him to show her appreciation but she knew that wasn't appropriate. At that same moment, her stomach started to growl and she realized that it was long past dinnertime. She scurried into the kitchen with warning to start cooking quickly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow in her direction, wondering why she was working so quickly.

In just 30 minutes, Hinata had managed to make Sasuke's favorite meal and set the table. When Sasuke saw the meal, he looked at Hinata who was still in the kitchen cleaning up a bit. "What's the special occasion?" he asked skeptically.

"I just wanted to say thanks for your kind words earlier. They meant a lot." A soft blush appeared on Hinata's face, which Sasuke noticed. He smirked, the closest thing to a smile, he ever did and said "No problem."

They sat down at the table together and ate in silence as usual. However, the silence today wasn't stiff or uncomfortable. Rather, the silence was relaxed and casual.

Sasuke looked up from his meal for a moment and looked at Hinata. He started to take notice of the way she ate her meal; her hands moved delicately whenever she moved some food to her mouth and no bite was too big for her to chew, clear signs that the royal training she received as a child remained with her.

Hinata looked up and caught Sasuke staring at her again, making her blush. "Yes Sasuke?" she asked, wondering why he was looking at her like that. Sasuke quickly refocused his gazed so that he didn't look so fixed on her features. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

"Hmm, about what?" she responded before taking another part of her food.

"Maybe you're right. We shouldn't really be together should we?"

Now it was Hinata's turn to give Sasuke a questioning glance. _'Just an hour and a half ago you were adamant about not divorcing. Now you want to leave?'_

Sasuke picked up on Hinata's glance and explained himself. "We both did this for our families but what did we get in return? Nothing. It's only right that we're fair to each other."

Hinata thought for a minute, putting her utensils down. "So you want a divorce now?" she asked, not really knowing where he was going with his words.

"No," Sasuke said simply. "It would be too much hassle to do that. My plan is this – we continue living in the same house, just to save face, but we live independently of each other."

Hinata took in Sasuke's words and digested them for a minute before responding. "You want us to be like…r-roommates then?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I guess you could call it that." Sasuke didn't really know how to label this arrangement that he was proposing. He had thought about what Hinata said ever since she had mentioned it; even though he didn't want a divorce, creating this arrangement would give him the freedom to do what he wanted while saving face, which had been especially important to him ever since he came back to the village and couple years ago. Sasuke wanted to prove he wasn't going to betray the village again but at the same time, he didn't want to be tied down to someone he had no feelings for. So Sasuke decided to take Hinata up on at least part of her offer – it was her idea in the first place anyways.

"Okay," Hinata said quietly as she kept her eyes on him. "We should lay some ground rules then."

_'Oh this I gotta hear…' _Sasuke thought to himself, wondering what Hinata could come up with.

"I get the bedroom and you get the spare, we take turns cooking and cleaning, I'm not in charge of your laundry anymore and –" Hinata paused before she finished what she had to say. Sasuke gave her a look, indicating to her to go on. Hinata took a deep breath.

"And if you fall in love with a-anyone else…you have to leave."

The words that came out of Hinata's mouth were harder to say out loud than she thought. She knew there was no chance for them becoming a successful couple but she knew that everyone should be with the person they love.

"I don't want to s-stand in the way of true love. Everyone deserves that in their life."

"A-and you wouldn't have to w-worry about the blame from people," Hinata stuttered out, repeating herself from earlier on in their conversation. "T-they would blame me. But that's okay, I can take it." She tried to manage to fake a smile after the last part of her statement but Sasuke saw right through her façade.

_'She seriously would put up with all the hate from the village if I left her for another woman because she believes in true love? Hinata really does think of others before herself. A bit foolish if you ask me.' _

Sasuke took in her words while thinking to him, still keeping his gaze from before. He finally responded, holding out his hand towards her. She looked at it for a minute until she recognized what he wanted to do. She slowly brought her hand from her sides and brought it to meet his. "There – it's a deal" Sasuke said as they shook hands. "Right" Hinata responded.

Their hands separated and they looked around the room for a while, not knowing what to do next. Sasuke then suddenly stood up and started to clear the table. "I got it," he said, not even looking at Hinata but knowing the questioning glance she must've been giving him. Hinata watched him walk off into the kitchen while she stayed seated at the table.

_'Well, I guess this is a new beginning.'_

* * *

**What will happen to our couple now? Well I guess you'll just have to wait and see :) Please leave reviews! I read them all and take them into consideration when writing a new chapter. P.S I made this chapter shorter cause the last one was just way too long haha. P.P.S Yes the beginning might be random but I wanted interaction with other people so I made it happen :P Until next time! ~lovelyangelxox**


	5. Something There

***I do not own Naruto* ****3,000 hits? That's exciting :) **

* * *

**Chapter 5: Something There**

"Sakura-chan do you really need this many clothes?" Hinata had her arms full of clothes that Sakura was pulling off of the hangers left, right and center. Sakura just looked at her with an exasperated expression.

"Hinata have you not heard a word I've said since we got here?"

_'How could I not? You've been talking non-stop for the past 45 minutes.' _Earlier that morning, Sakura had gone to Hinata's house and literally dragged her out to go shopping. Sakura wanted to find a nice outfit for her and Naruto's 4 month anniversary.

_'I didn't even know people celebrated such anniversaries.' _

Not waiting for a response, Sakura took Hinata's arm and pulled her into the dressing room. The force Sakura used almost caused Hinata to drop some of the clothes, for which Sakura apologized.

"I'm sorry Hinata," the pinkette said. "I'm just really anxious. I just want tonight to be special." Hinata nodded, understanding her behavior.

"It will be special Sakura; don't worry. I'm sure Naruto will love anything you pick out." Hinata had gotten to the point where mentioning Naruto's name didn't make her stumble over her words. In fact, her feelings for him had all but diminished at this point; spending so much time with Sakura made her realize that Naruto was happy with his wife and that there was no use pining over someone she can't have. Still, she wished she could feel the same way about her own husband.

Sakura took the pile of clothes from Hinata's arms and walked into one of the changing stalls. "You're right Hinata, I shouldn't be stressing so much." Sakura quickly changed and came out, showing off an emerald dress that matched her eyes.

"It's very pretty Sakura-chan," Hinata said with a smile. She admired Sakura's body as Sakura examined herself in the mirror. She then looked down at her own body and sighed. Hinata knew she had features other girls would die for but she just felt so awkward in her own body. She didn't like that her breasts were larger than most and she hated the fact that her hips made her look so curvy.

"Hmm thank you Hinata. But I think I should get something else. I look girlish in this one." Comments like that made Hinata want to strangle Sakura sometimes.

_'If I had her body I'd wear that type of outfit all the time! Kami, why did you give me such an awkward body?'_

Hinata hugged herself softly as Sakura changed into her next outfit. "What plans do you and Naruto have for tonight?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing big," Sakura said from her stall. "I think I'm just going to cook him his favorite meal." Sakura came out, now wearing a bright red dress.

"Ugh I don't like this one either. What do you think?" She turned to Hinata and Hinata looked her over. "Well…to be honest…the red clashes with your hair a bit." Hinata said this softly, afraid she might offend her friend.

Sakura quickly looked in the mirror again and realized that Hinata was right. She made a face at herself. "Curse my pink hair. It makes everything more difficult." Going back into the stall for the third time, Hinata decided to continue their conversation.

"So since you said you were making his favorite meal, that means you're making him ramen?" Hinata said this with a giggle. Everyone and their mother knew that Naruto ate ramen like there was no tomorrow. Sakura giggled from her stall as well.

"Well…yeah," Sakura burst into more laughter. "I can't help it if that's what my man likes." Sakura came out for the third time, now wearing a sleek black dress. Hinata smiled when Sakura walked up to the mirror.

"This is it," they said at the same time. Sakura turned to grin at Hinata and Hinata smiled back at her.

"Two great minds think alike," Sakura said as she turned in the mirror. "It's a shame that it's so nice though. Naruto probably won't let me keep this on for too long." Sakura giggled softly to herself. Hinata, however, blushed like mad, the red hue covering her entire face. Sakura looked at Hinata and shook her head.

"Gosh Hinata, you've been married to Sasuke for 7 months and you still act like you're a virgin."

_'If only you knew Sakura. If only you knew…' _

Hinata didn't say anything in response. Instead, she just looked down at her feet, the blush still covering her face. Sakura studied her friend for a minute. She went back into the stall and grabbed the red dress she had tried on and shoved it in Hinata's face. "You're trying this on. Now."

Hinata took one look at the dress and quickly shook her head. The dress was floor length, flowed and had an elegant feel to it, but the sweetheart neckline made her nervous. Normally a sweetheart neckline wouldn't make a women appear to have too much cleavage but Hinata knew her breasts. "Sakura I can't try this on!" Hinata blushed even more, her face turning the color of the dress.

"Yes you can and you will!" Sakura pull Hinata up and pushed her into the dressing room stall. "You can't come out until I see you in that dress!"

Hinata groaned, knowing there was no point arguing with Sakura. "Wait!" Hinata poked her head out of the dressing room stall. "Could you possibly get me a bigger size? I don't think it'll fit." Hinata looked down in embarrassment, continually cursing her figure. Sakura nodded without saying a word. She quickly entered the store again and came back with the red dress in Hinata's size. "Here ya go Hinata," Sakura said, holding out the dress with her hand. Hinata stuck her hand out of the door and grabbed the dress from Sakura. "T-thank you," she said softly.

She quickly shed off her jacket and other clothes and pull the dress over her head. She looked down at herself self consciously. _'I can't wear this! I look horrible!' _

"Hinata, I'm waiting!" Sakura called out from the door of the stall. Hinata sighed and walked out of the stall, walking up to the mirror. "Well, just tell me how ugly it looks so I can put on my regular clothes" Hinata said softly.

Sakura was looking at Hinata's body with her mouth wide open. "Hinata are you kidding me?! You're freaking gorgeous!"

And gorgeous Hinata was. The red color of the dress went well against her pale skin and dark hair. The dress showed every curve of her body quite nicely. However, as Hinata expected, the dress also showed off a lot more cleavage than she liked.

"T-thank you Sakura," Hinata said half-heartedly, not really believing Sakura's words. "Hinata look at yourself!" Sakura exclaimed. She went behind Hinata, held her shoulders and forced her to look into the mirror. "You really are beautiful."

Hinata looked at herself in the mirror, slowly realizing she didn't look half bad. "M-maybe you're right," Hinata said with a soft giggle. "Thanks Sakura."

"No problem. I bet when Sasuke sees you in this, he won't be able to keep his hands off of you!" Sakura said this with a naughty grin, which made Hinata go back to blushing.

"Come on, let's change and get out of here. I'm buying that dress for you."

Hinata quickly shook her head. "No Sakura, that's too kind. You can't-"

"I already said I would Hinata. You can't make me change my mind." Hinata nodded, knowing this all too well. "Just think of it as a 7 month anniversary present."

_'Really, do people celebrate 7 months?'_

After changing and checking out of the store, Sakura and Hinata hit the street, each with a bag in tow. Sakura took a quick look at her watch and panicked. "Is that the time?!" Sakura looked at Hinata with a sorry expression. "I'm sorry Hinata, I have to go! I have to clean, cook dinner and –"

"It's okay," Hinata interrupted with a soft smile. "I understand."

Sakura leaped and gave Hinata a big hug before running off towards her house. "Don't worry, I'll tell you every single detail about it later!" she shouted as she ran off, making Hinata blush softly to herself.

"Sakura's really comfortable telling me these things," she said softly to herself. Hinata started to walk slowly down the road, bag in tow.

* * *

Hinata looked around her and took in all the sights around town. Everything about the town made her smile with happiness as she walked by; The children playing in the streets made her think of her childhood, making her wish she had more free time to play while the noises of the hustle of bustle of people moving made her calm. Hinata even said hi to the street vendors, knowing most of them one way or another.

Halfway home, Hinata heard a very familiar bark. Before she could react, a big white flash pounced on her, licking her ferociously, meanwhile knocking her bag out of her hand. "Hi Akamaru," Hinata said, giggling through the licks.

"Akamaru, what did I say about attacking Hinata like that?" Kiba quickly came to Hinata's aid, pulling Akamaru off of Hinata's body. He helped Hinata get off from the ground and picked up her shopping bag as well. "I'm sorry, he's just excited to see you."

"But he just saw me yesterday Kiba-kun" Hinata smiled and petted the friendly dog. "Yeah well what can I say? Akamaru's always had a thing for pretty girls." Kiba flashed his toothy smile at Hinata, making her laugh and blush.

"You shouldn't be such a flirt Kiba. You already make all the girls in town go crazy."

"Tell me about it," Kiba said sighing. "Ino's been chasing me for weeks and she still hasn't stopped."

"She's a nice girl. Why don't you date her?" Kiba shrugged. "She's not my type."

"I didn't know you had a type," Hinata said simply. "Everyone has a type Hinata," Kiba rebutted.

"Well, hopefully you'll find this 'type' soon so she can tame your wild ways." Hinata giggled and Kiba just smiled softly next to her. "Here's your bag," Kiba said, handing it to her. As he did, he saw a glipse of red and he looked at Hinata with a suspicious look.

"Since when do you wear red?" he asked curiously. Hinata blushed softly. "Since Sakura bought this dress for me. I'm never going to wear it."

"Why not? Doesn't that husband of yours take you anywhere?"

Hinata shook his head. "He's too busy…he trains a lot." Hinata had to come up with some excuse. It was easier than saying that she and Sasuke basically lived as roommates. "Plus, I don't like the dress all that much."

Kiba looked at Hinata. "I bet you look great in that dress and you're just too modest to admit it. Plus, if that Uchiha is too busy to take you out, he doesn't know what he's missing."

Hinata smiled politely at Kiba. He had always said such things to make her feel better about herself. "Thank you Kiba. You're a great friend."

Kiba smiled back, wrapping his arm around Hinata's shoulder. "That's what I'm here for!" Hinata softly blushed at Kiba's touch but didn't think much of it. It was just in Kiba's nature to be friendly like that.

"So where are you off to?" Kiba asked curiously. "Oh, I'm just going home." "Let me and Akamaru walk you there. It's getting a bit dark."

In all honesty, it wasn't that dark at all but Hinata didn't deny his request. She enjoyed Kiba's and Akamaru's company. She and Kiba talked the rest of the way to Hinata's house. By the time Hinata had reached the front door, she was laughing the hardest she had in months.

"Kiba thank you so much. I really needed that laugh today" She leaned over and gave Kiba a hug. Kiba smiled, loving the fact he made Hinata laugh today. "Anytime, hime-chan." Hinata groaned softly at the nickname. She didn't like it too much but still allowed Kiba to call her that from time to time.

Kiba started to walk away but turned around really quickly. "Hey Hinata, I know this is short notice but... remember how you said you didn't have anywhere to wear that dress?"

Hinata nodded and Kiba continued. "Well, would you like to wear it tonight?"

Hinata looked at Kiba strangely. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"My clan's having a bit of a party tonight. Somebody just got married so we're having a celebration. I'd love it if you came!" Hinata smiled at Kiba's request but thought about it for a minute.

"Did you invite Shino-kun too?" Kiba nodded. "Yeah, but whether or not he'll show up is kinda iffy. He's not really the social type you know."

Hinata nodded. "Yes, I know all too well."

"Maybe if I tell him you're coming, he'll come along too." Kiba was in fact lying; he hadn't even thought of inviting his other teammate at all. He knew Hinata needed to have fun and he wanted to be the person who provided it for her.

"Okay," Hinata said with a smile. "I'll go."

"Great!" Kiba said excitedly. "I'll pick you up at 8!"

"See you then!" Hinata said with a smile. Kiba and Akamaru dashed off down the street and Hinata opened the door to her house, walking in with a smile.

* * *

Hinata looked at the clock when she walked through her front door. _'Hmm, 3 o'clock. I still have time.' _

She looked around the living room, considering what to do with her free time. Since she and Sasuke agreed to live as roommates, Hinata cut back on what she did around the house, which wasn't too hard considering Sasuke was a reasonably tidy person. She walked to her bedroom to put her shopping bag down. She then walked through the kitchen, still thinking about what she could do with her free time.

_'I could watch TV," _Hinata thought to herself. _'But there's nothing good on at this time of the day.' _Hinata looked into the sink and saw that there were some dishes that needed to be clean. By force of habit, she started to push her sleeves up in preparation to clean them but stopped herself before she grabbed the sponge. "It's Sasuke's day to do them," she said to herself as she forced herself to walk away from the pile. She made it about five steps out of the kitchen before she came back to quickly clean the dishes in the sink.

Hinata looked at the now clear sink and smiled to herself. _'I know it was Sasuke's turn but I can't stand a dirty sink. But I still don't know what to do…' _Hinata sighed and looked out of the kitchen window, overlooking the big backyard. Most of the backyard was commandeered by Sasuke and his training equipment, which he hadn't used in a while. However, Hinata had a part of the backyard that she claimed all to herself. She smiled as she looked at the sprouting plants coming from the brown soil.

"I guess I have some time to check on my garden." Hinata went into her bedroom and changed into her gardening clothes, brown pants with an old t-shirt shirt and a wide brim hat. She then went outside and started to tend to her garden. Hinata's garden was her pride and joy; she took comfort in the fact that every single bit of work she put into it would always lead to something plenty and beautiful. This season, Hinata decided to plant lavenders. She did this in honor of her mother; lavender plants always reminded Hinata of her mother because they were her favorite plants to tend to in the garden.

Hinata took great care of her plants, taking a good amount of time to water them while making sure pesky weeds would stay away. Taking in a whiff of the beautiful aroma, Hinata smiled to herself. _'I could do this for hours…' _She thought to herself. Finally satisfied with her work, she went back inside of her house. Her light and happy mood soon turned into worry when she realized what time it was.

"7:00?! Oh no! I don't have that much time to get ready! Kiba will be here in an hour!" Hinata quickly dashed off to her bedroom, removing her clothes before heading into the bathroom to take a shower. She had to rush with washing her hair, not having the amount of time she would've liked to clean it thoroughly. She quickly finished with her shower and wrapped a towl around her hair and her frame, running into her bedroom once more.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasuke was on the way home from the Hokage's office. He went to Lady Tsunade to see if there were any available missions for him to take since he was tired of training with Naruto. Unfortunately, the Hokage wasn't in the best mood when Sasuke came in and told him that there weren't any missions for him to take, except for one with Sai. Sasuke declined that offer right quick; he'd rather stay in Kohona than go on a mission with his sad excuse of a replacement.

When Sasuke came through the front door of the house, his stomach automatically rumbled as he turned on the lights. It had been a month since their agreement but Sasuke's stomach still longed for Hinata's home cooking every night. Even though he knew that it was his turn to figure out dinner plans, he still checked out the kitchen to see if anything had been made.

_'Damn. Nothing. At least I don't have to do the dishes.' _ Sasuke smirked when he saw the empty sink. He didn't mind cleaning up around the house but he despised doing the dishes. He knew Hinata couldn't stand a dirty sink so he knew if he held off long enough into the day, they would be done for him.

Sasuke's stomach grumbled again and he sighed. He decided on the best thing he could get for dinner at this time of night: Pizza. He grabbed a jacket and was about to head out when he remembered that Hinata must be somewhere in the house.

"Hinata?" he called out, not knowing where she was exactly. "I'm going to get pizza. Do you want any?"

Sasuke waited a few moments before he heard the sound of the bedroom door opening. He watched as a silhouette emerged from the dark hallway. When he was faced with the beauty in front of him, his eyes practically widened, something Sasuke never did.

_'Wow...is this Hinata?' _He asked himself in disbelief. _'This cannot be her.' _

Hinata stood in the light of the living room in front of him. She was wearing the red dress Sakura bought her earlier that day, which accentuated all of her womanly features, along with simple black heels and a matching purse. Her hair was down and completely dry, even though she had just gotten out of the shower not too long ago. She also donned simple but flawless diamond stud earrings. She looked down at the ground and shyly tucked some hair behind her ear. She still didn't feel comfortable in the dress and the fact that she could feel Sasuke's eyes searing into her didn't make matters any better.

"I don't want any pizza," she finally said, looking up from the ground slowly. "But thanks for the offer."

Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off of her. Never had he seen Hinata like this before. Even on their wedding day she didn't look like this. He wanted to walk over and touch her silky porcelain skin to see if it really was her standing in front of him.

"Sasuke?" Hinata looked at Sasuke with concern. "Are you okay?" Hinata took Sasuke's weird behavior personally. "Do you think it looks bad?" Hinata self-consciously looked at her outfit, mentally going over whether she should be wearing this.

"I…I just…have you always had that dress?" Sasuke failed to find his words at the beginning of his sentence which shocked him quite a bit.

_'Get a grip of yourself. Uchiha's don't stumble like this.' _Sasuke took a deep breath and took a long blink, trying to contain himself.

Hinata shook her head. "No, Sakura bought it for me today when we went shopping. I didn't want it but she insisted on buying it."

_'I can see why…' _Sasuke thought to himself. His mind was beginning to travel to places it hadn't been before. The feelings stirring inside of him confused him and he didn't like that at all.

"Going any place special?" Sasuke tried to sound uninterested as possible, trying to keep his cool in front of Hinata. _'Since when do I care where she goes?' _

"Well, yes actually. You see, K-" The doorbell rang and Sasuke looked at Hinata curiously. Since he was closest to the door, he moved to open it. When he saw Kiba in a suit standing in front of the screen door, his facial expression turned into one of distaste.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with a bit of venom in his tone. Kiba rolled his eyes at Sasuke; he had never been one to put up with Sasuke's attitude.

"I'm here to pick up Hinata of course." Kiba moved himself so he could see around Sasuke and caught a glipse of her. He smiled as she moved closer to the door, giving him more of a look at her beautiful figure.

"Wow! Hinata you look great!" Kiba flashed his toothy grin, which made Hinata giggle in reply. "Thank you Kiba." Akamaru, who was standing a couple feet from the door barked with a smile. "And thank you too Akamaru." Sasuke shot a look at Hinata and she turned to him to finish explaining.

"Like I was saying, Kiba's picking me up so we can go to a party at his clan's compound; somebody just got married. He invited Shino too."

_'Shit, I forgot I said that,'_ Kiba thought to himself. "Where is Shino anyways?" Hinata asked softly. "Actually, about that…he said he couldn't come. He's not feeling too well."

"Really?" Hinata asked in bewilderment. "In all the time I've known him, he's never been sick. Maybe we should go and check on him."

Kiba quickly shook his head no. "Nah, I'm sure he's fine. Plus, I'm sure he wouldn't want us to miss all the fun. Come on, let's go!" Kiba opened the screen door and outstretched his hand, waiting for Hinata to take a hold of it.

Sasuke was still standing in between them and wasn't budging. Hinata tapped Sasuke softly on his shoulder. He looked at her and moved without a word, letting Kiba take her hand. "I'll be back soon, don't worry." She gave him a reassuring smile. Hinata picked up that Sasuke was bothered by something but she didn't know what exactly, her naïvety getting the best of her.

Kiba allowed her to walk off first, leaving Kiba and Sasuke alone for a minute. Sasuke gave Kiba a death glare. "I don't know what game you're trying to play here Inuzuka, but I suggest you back off," said Sasuke harshly, wanting to beat the pulp out of Kiba already. He knew that Kiba was up to something. Hinata was too innocent to see it but Sasuke saw right through his plan.

Kiba just smirked in response. "I have no idea what you're talking about _buddy_," he started. Kiba was loving that the situation was ruffling Sasuke's feathers. Anything he could do to annoy him he did so with great passion. He turned his back to the door. "Oh, don't wait up." At this, Kiba smirked even more before walking to catch up with Hinata, who was standing by Akamaru.

_'You don't deserve her Uchiha and she's been unhappy for months. I've always cared for her. Tonight, I'm going to show her how I feel.' _Hinata linked arms with Kiba as they started off, already laughing together about something Kiba had mentioned.

Sasuke watched them walk away until he could no longer see them. He then closed the front door, gripping the handle so tightly that he left an indent in it.

"I don't care what Kiba does with her. She's not my concern. She's never been my concern." Sasuke started talking to himself as he slowly paced up and down the living room.

"She's free to do what she wants. I don't care." Sasuke picked up his pace a bit.

"All I know is that if that Inuzuka tries to take one pass at my wife I'm gonna –" Sasuke stopped himself mid-sentence, also stopping his pace at the same time.

_'Wife?' _he thought to himself. _'Sure, technically we're still married but she's not my wife. She's just my roommate. Exactly. Just my roommate.' _If Hinata was just his roommate, why did he feel this way?

Sasuke slumped down on the couch, trying to digest these new feelings. They had come out of nowhere. Until this point, Sasuke convinced himself that they didn't exist. The image of Hinata in her dress kept popping up in his mind. His mind couldn't even handle just how flawless she looked. _'How did I overlook that for 7 months?' _

The good feelings overwhelming his body were suddenly overshadowed by the thought of Kiba taking Hinata – his wife – out looking like that. Sasuke grumbled to himself. He was jealous and he hated it, especially since Hinata was going out with a person he didn't really care for.

Hinata never dressed up like that for him. Why was Kiba so special to get this treatment? _'Did I ever offer to take her out?' _Sasuke questioned himself, making him think back on the last seven months. Anger started boiling inside of him. He was mostly angry at himself but decided to direct it at a more appealing target.

"Kiba's up to no good…" Sasuke growled in a low tone. "And I'm going to stop him."

All of Sasuke's other emotions flew out of the window, leaving only one clear-cut feeling – rage. Sasuke sprung up from the couch and quickly grabbed his keys, forgetting to grab a jacket as he slammed the front door behind him.

Sasuke was on a mission. And nobody could stop him.

* * *

**Kiba's trying to make a move on Hinata! Oh no! And do I detect some jealousy there Sasuke? :) I have to thank robotchick for her suggestion for Sasuke to get jealous over Hinata and another guy. Before I finish I chapter, I like to already know where the next chapter was going but when I started this one, I had no direction. But writer's block was cured by a review! Thank you all for reading my story! There's more to come! Review please! I'd really appreciate it :)**


	6. Caught Deep

**In honor of my University's snow day (the first one since the 70s), I'm updating early! Hopefully everyone enjoys it! **

***I do not own Naruto***

* * *

**Chapter 6: Caught Deep**

Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru arrived to the party right when it hit full swing. Everybody in the Inuzuka complex was having a good time, sharing laughs and drinks with everyone they saw.

"Kiba there you are!" a voice called out. Hinata turned to see Hana, Kiba's older sister, approaching the two of them. Hana looked nice tonight; she decided to take a break from her usual clothes and was wearing a long one-shoulder purple dress. Hinata thought the color complimented her features nicely. "I've been looking for you!" She turned to Hinata and smiled. "Hi Hinata. I haven't seen you in a while."

Hinata gave her shy smile. "It's nice to see you too Hana." Hana looked around the area quickly before looking back at Hinata's face. "Hey, where's that guy of yours? The Uchiha. Shouldn't he be here with you?"

The mention of Sasuke's name made her face color with pink. A sudden wave of guilt hit Hinata, as she realized she didn't even ask if Sasuke wanted to come with them. _'I hope Sasuke doesn't mind that I'm here with Kiba. Maybe I should've asked if he wanted to go.' _Hana looked at Hinata, waiting for an answer.

"He's at home. Kiba asked me to come with him tonight. Shino-kun was supposed to come as well but he's sick."

Hana took a look at Kiba who was avoiding eye contact with his sister at all cost. "Sick eh? Hinata, please excuse me for a minute - I need to talk to my brother on some...clan matters. It shouldn't take long." Hana grabbed Kiba's arm and dragged him by force away from the shy kunoichi. "T-take your time," she said softly, her words barely heard over the roar of the party.

When Hana figured they were far enough from Hinata, she looked at her brother with fiery eyes. "Kiba, I know what you're doing. This is not a good idea at all and you know it."

Kiba avoided her gaze and instead locked eyes with Hinata. She gave him a small wave and he shyly waved back. _'This girl has no idea what she does to me.'_ Breaking eye contact with Hinata but still refusing to look at his sister, Kiba decided to start talking, hoping he could say enough to get Hana off his back. "Look sis, I have no idea what you're – " Hana took Kiba's face in her hands and turned it so he had to look her in the eyes. Kiba knew that Hana could hold his face like that for as long as she wanted to, so he gave in to spare himself the agony.

"Okay, okay. I'll explain! Just let go of my face will ya?!" Hana did as he said and she stood patiently, waiting for an explanation.

"Hinata hasn't been happy for months. Hana, if you saw how she looks when she comes to training with Shino and I, it would break your heart. Sasuke's no good for her. I'm just trying to make her smile and show her a good time. She really needs it."

"Hmm, the good friend ploy. Nice one Kiba, but it won't work. You know Hinata sees you as a close friend and that's it. Don't ruin your friendship over your childhood crush."

Kiba looked away, the hurt filling his eyes as he heard Hana's words. "Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" Kiba practically shouted. This garnered some looks from people walking by them but Hana gave them a reassuring smile to show them everything was okay.

Hana felt for her little brother, truly she did. She knew that Kiba always had a thing for his blue-haired teammate; he was just too stubborn to admit it back then. When the news of Hinata and Sasuke's engagement broke across town, Hana had watched her brother go from an energetic person bouncing off the walls with Akamaru to a person that was…well heartbroken. Despite the fact that he still promised to protect Hinata at all costs, it still hurt him knowing that the small chance he could've had with her was basically gone. It broke her heart to see her brother this way. That's why she had to try to save him from further agony.

"Kiba…" she put her hand on his shoulder softly. "Hinata loves you, just not in that way. Even if she's not happy with Sasuke, you shouldn't interfere with her relationship, whatever it might be."

Kiba didn't turn around, even when he felt his sister's hand on his shoulder. "I have to try. I can make her happy Hana. Happier than that Uchiha ever has. I can't live without trying."

With that, Kiba walked away from his sister, meeting back up with Hinata, a smile plastered on his face. Hinata was eating a snack when she saw Kiba come back towards her. "Everything alright?" she asked, food still in her mouth. Hinata blushed when she realized she was talking with food in her mouth. Quickly, She swallowed before continuing. "That took longer than I thought it would."

Kiba nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine," he lied. "Hana would talk for hours if I'd let her." Kiba whispered something to Akamaru and he nodded, running off into the party. He held out his arm for Hinata to take hold of. "Come on, let's walk around." Hinata smiled and took his arm. Together, they started their walk around the Inuzuka compound, talking to people along the way.

* * *

Sasuke reached the Inuzuka compound in record time, speeding through the streets of Konoha to get there. Everyone gave Sasuke a weird look as they saw him running quickly but he ignored all of their stares; his mind was only on one thing. Once he arrived, Sasuke took a pause to catch his breath. He hadn't really thought of a plan before he left so he had to think of one on his feet. He looked at the entranceway but shook his head for even considering it.

_'Not an option," _Sasuke told himself._ 'Everyone would notice me, including Kiba and Hinata.' _

He contemplated hoping over a wall in the back of the compound but quickly ruled that out when he remembered Kiba's clan could pick up a foreign scent within their walls in seconds. He sighed to himself, coming to terms that he really had no plan of action. He looked up into the trees, about to give up when a plan sprung up in his mind. Sasuke smirked to himself as he jumped into a nearby tree with ease.

_'Perfect. There are enough trees around this place for me to stay in. I can keep an eye on Hinata and Kiba without them noticing me.' _

Sasuke began his surveillance, quickly finding Hinata and Kiba socializing with some of the other Inuzukas. He frowned when he saw Kiba move his hand around Hinata's waist, holding her as if she was his. _'I knew he was up to no good…' _Hinata shifted her body a bit when Kiba did this, making Kiba's hand fall from her waist. Sasuke smirked in approval when he watched this unfurl in front of his eyes. _'Yep, that's my wife.' _Sasuke shook his head when he said this to himself. _'I really need to get a_ grip.'

* * *

Kiba and Hinata spent the next hour laughing and talking while was close by, Sasuke looking overhead. "Kiba, I'm having so much fun tonight. Thank you for inviting me." Hinata said all of this with a smile. She and Kiba were in a grassy part of the compound, some distance away from the party. They were sitting by a tree some Hinata could rest her feet, aching from her heels.

"Anytime Hinata," Kiba said, smiling back. "You know I'd do anything for you."

"I know. I'm so glad we're such close friends Kiba." Hinata's smile grew even bigger, making Kiba's heart leap.

Still, Kiba frowned when he heard the words "friends". _'I don't want to just be your friend anymore Hinata. Why can't you see that?' _

Swiftly thinking, Kiba stood up and took Hinata's hand, pulling her up with him. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to his body. He started moving her around in circles. "Kiba!" she said, awkwardly moving with him. She blushed at how quickly Kiba pulled her into a dance. "What are you doing?" Kiba just smiled softly. "I'm dancing with you silly."

Hinata awkwardly let Kiba lead her around for a couple of minutes. Sasuke, still looking down at them from the trees overheard, smirked to himself, enjoying that Kiba was failing to make Hinata comfortable. _'Sucks to be you Inuzuka.'_

"You know, dancing doesn't really work if you don't move your feet Hinata." Hinata looked into Kiba's eyes and blushed again. "I'm sorry. It's just that…I don't dance very often." Kiba gave her a sympathetic look. "Well we all know that your husband isn't one for fun." Sasuke's smirk turned into a frown when he heard Kiba say this.

"Sasuke can be fun when he wants to be. I just haven't seen that side of him yet." Hinata said softly in return. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to defend Sasuke against Kiba's words, even though she knew what Kiba said was true.

Sasuke heard Hinata's words and was surprised by them. He wondered why she bothered to defend him when there wasn't a reason to. _'Does she actually li-' _Sasuke quickly brushed this thought away. He assumed Hinata said those words because she was a kind-hearted person, nothing more.

Kiba stopped his movements and gave a smile to the shy beauty. "It's not that hard to dance. All it takes is practice. I didn't ask you properly anyways." Kiba bowed in front of Hinata. "M'lady, may I have this dance?"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at her friend's antics. "Okay Kiba. Just don't bow in front of me again. You know I hate that." Kiba held out his hand for Hinata to take a hold of and she happily took it. It didn't take long for them to start dancing in perfect sync. The music from the party was barely heard from where they were but they didn't care. Hinata looked at Kiba with glee in her eyes. This was the first time in a while that she felt carefree and loose. Kiba surprised her with a dip and she let out not a giggle, but a hearty laugh. She was glad she came to the party with Kiba tonight; she loved that she had a friend on her side.

Sasuke watched the scene playing down below him. His expression was stoic; he refused to show any emotion, despite the fact that a myriad of feelings were brewing inside of him. When he heard Hinata laugh, his fist curled up into a ball. _'I've never heard Hinata laugh like that. How did Kiba pull that off?' _Sasuke felt sick. He was disgusted at himself, knowing that he was starting to get jealous of Kiba. Deciding he had seen enough, Sasuke dropped from the tree and started to walk home. As he did, the words Hinata said to him a month ago played in his mind:

_"Look at us – we don't love each other." _

"Right,"Sasuke said out loud to himself. "We don't."

* * *

Finished with their dance, Hinata had a full-blown smile on her face. Kiba looked at her happily. "Since you liked that so much, we could always do it again." He pulled Hinata towards him again, bringing their faces close enough so that their noses were touching. A soft blush appeared on Hinata's face as she retreated from his hold.

"It's getting late. I told Sasuke I wouldn't be out for a long time." A disappointed Kiba nodded. "Alright," he said, sighing underneath his breath. "Let's get you home."

The walk back to Hinata's house was a quiet one. Her and Kiba weren't as talkative as they were going to the party. Hinata didn't think anything of the silence. Since she was comfortable with Kiba, she didn't mind not having anything to talk about with him. On the other hand, Kiba was restless. He took the silence as an awkward one, thinking that what he did at the party upset Hinata.

_'I knew I shouldn't have asked for that second dance. She must hate me. Why do you have to be so pushy Kiba?!' _

He scolded himself until no end. Nearing her house, Kiba debated with himself. _'I have to tell her tonight. If I don't, I'll never have the guts to do it again.' _

"Hinata?" Kiba stopped, footsteps in front of her house.

"Hmm?" she turned to look at him. "Yes Kiba?"

"I have to tell you something."

* * *

Sasuke was close to the home he and Hinata shared when heard footsteps rounding the corner. He hid behind some bushes and saw his wife with Kiba. He noticed that they weren't talking at all but quickly reasoned that Kiba hadn't done anything to upset Hinata because she looked content.

He watched them get closer to the house before Kiba stopped Hinata with his words. Curious to see what would happen, Sasuke positioned himself behind the bush better, giving him a clearer view of the situation, thanks to a small clearing in the bristles.

* * *

"Kiba what is it?" Hinata prompted him to go on. After he told her he had something to say, he just stared at her, his voice suddenly disappearing.

"Hinata I – You see I…," Kiba sighed, starting to pace in his spot. Hinata looked at him questioningly, wondering what was going on in her friend's head.

Kiba took a deep breath and stilled, looking at Hinata head on. "Hinata, I know this guy right? Well this guy has been friends with this girl for years and he's always liked her. He just never said anything because he was too proud to admit it." He paused to see if Hinata was listening. She gave him a polite nod and he continued.

"Now, this guy still likes her, but there's a problem."

"What's the problem?" she asked.

"She's…uhh…she's with another guy. But I know she's not happy with him. I – I mean my friend, sees her all the time and she never seems happy. But my friend could make her happy again. I know he could! He loves making her smile. He'd do anything for her." Kiba took another deep breath.

"So my question is this – how does my friend tell her he lo….that he likes her?"

Hinata thought about this for a minute, wanting to give Kiba an answer. When she looked at Kiba again, she saw the longing in his eyes. Now Hinata might've been slow to catch hints, but even she couldn't miss the stare he was giving her. She looked down and blushed.

_'Kiba-kun's talking about me?! But, but we're just friends! I don't see him like that. But I don't want to break his heart.' _

Hinata started to stress over what she should do in her mind. Meanwhile, Sasuke was still watching from behind the bush. He wasn't surprised at what the dog-ninja was admitting. He was actually sort of amused at the fact that he didn't have the guts to come outright and say it.

_'Damn Kiba, at least be man enough to say it to her. Who knew you were so weak when it comes to girls?' _Sasuke couldn't help but smirk to himself.

Hinata didn't want to look up at Kiba. She didn't have the heart to crush him. She was familiar with that pain all too much. Now that she was on the receiving side of unwanted love, she was unsure what to do with herself.

"Hinata?" Kiba said quietly. Hinata brought her head up to face Kiba. "What should my friend do?"

She sighed uncomfortably. She had to do this, even though it hurt her to do so. "Well…I-I think your…friend shouldn't pursue his love for her any further. L-let's say she doesn't like him back: your friend wouldn't want to change years of friendship for that."

"But what if she did like him back?" Kiba knew what was coming, but his pride didn't let him back down.

"She's with someone else. Even if the girl did like him back, your friend would be messing with somebody else's relationship. I-I just don't think that's a good idea."

Hinata looked down, wanting to cry. "Sorry Kiba," she whispered softly. "I'm not that good at giving advice."

At this point, Sasuke was fully amused with the scene happening in front of him. _'That's what you get for being so cocky jerk.'_ Never one to laugh at the right time, he let out a soft chuckle. Unbeknownst to him, Hinata picked up on the sound. Her head darted up, looking around. She knew it was Sasuke.

Kiba shrugged, trying to mask his pain. He was too much in his own feelings to notice the sounds around him. "It's okay Hinata. I know that you always speak with your heart. It means a lot to me."

Hinata saw the sadness in Kiba's eyes. She took a step towards him but Kiba moved away from her. "Uh, I should get going. My mom get's annoying if I'm out late." Hinata nodded. "Right."

"I'll see you around!" Kiba tried flashing Hinata his bright smile but failed. Slowly, he started to walk away, taking steps as if he had just lost a battle.

Hinata shed a tear; she hated that she had caused someone she cared about pained. She quickly wiped it away, composing herself. She stood in the middle of her street for a minute, watching Kiba walk away. While she was doing this, she could feel eyes on her.

"Byakugan!" she yelled to herself, activating it to see around her. _'Maybe I'm just imagining things…' _She thought to herself as she looked around. Sasuke watched her activate her Byakugan and started to make a dash to the backyard to make it seem like he was there the whole time, training with his equipment. He knew the Byakugan's powers but he still wanted to try. However, she still caught him, catching his chakra flow moving as he dashed away.

Finding what she suspected, Hinata let her eyes go back to normal. _'Why was Sasuke watching us?'_ Hinata suddenly felt tired, too many events happening in one night for her to handle. She made her way to her front door quickly. She unlocked it and stepped right on in, relaxing at the feel of her home.

* * *

Hinata began to take off her heels when Sasuke walked into the house using the back door. Hinata wondered whether she should bring up the fact she saw him right away. She looked at him when he came up and stood some distance in front of her. She was about to open her mouth when Sasuke beat her to it. "Have fun?" he asked, trying to sound uninterested in her coming answer.

She nodded. "Yes, I did. I had a good time. Why do you ask Sasuke?" He shoved his hands into his pockets. "No reason." Hinata took her heels in her hand and started to walk past him to get to her room. "What did you do with him anyways?"

Hinata stopped walking and turned around. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

He gave her a questioning look. "How would I know what you did with that Inuzuka?" Sasuke looked down, kicking the dust on the ground.

"Maybe because you were watching us." Sasuke scoffed at Hinata's idea and tried to play it off without giving himself away.

"Why would I want to watch you and _Kiba_ all night? I have better things to do with my time." Hinata held back a giggle when she heard his words. _'He's going to great lengths to lie to me.'_

"I saw you tonight Sasuke. You were watching us." She watched Sasuke roll his eyes at her, making her want to laugh even more.

"I was not." He said simply.

"Was to." She rebutted.

"Was not.

"Was to."

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't have time for this childish game Hinata. I don't want to hear about how you danced with Kiba anyways." Now he was the one who started to walk away, heading off to his room.

When Sasuke said this, Hinata smiled. "I never said Kiba and I danced." Sasuke froze in his spot. _'Shit.'_ He thought to himself.

"Lucky guess," Sasuke said without turning around.

"I think somebody's jealous." Hinata didn't get the chance to tease people often. She took amusement in the fact that Sasuke was bothered by her going out with Kiba. At the same time, she wondered why he was taking an interest in what she was doing now all of a sudden.

Sasuke turned around quickly and walked right up to Hinata. "I'm not jealous." Hinata smirked at him. "I don't know Sasuke. You look pretty jealous to me."

"Please," Sasuke started. "I could never be jealous of that…that…" Usually Sasuke was good with coming up with comebacks but right now he was at a loss of words.

"Cat got your tongue?" Hinata let out a giggle, pissing off Sasuke even more. "No," Sasuke said simply. "So why were you watching us?"

"Get over yourself. I wasn't watching either of you," Sasuke said coldly. Hinata just shrugged. "Okay Sasuke. You weren't watching us."

She walked to her bedroom door slowly before entering her room. Sasuke's eyes didn't leave her body as she walked. Even though he was admiring her backside, Sasuke was admiring her attitude more.

_'__She keeps surprising me_,' he began to think to himself. _'I didn't know she had it in her to be like this. It's kinda sexy.'_

She was about to close the door before turning around. "Oh Sasuke?" she voiced. Sasuke looked at her, not saying anything. "I like your outfit." Sasuke looked down at himself. He was wearing jeans and a dark t-shirt with sandals, his usual night-at-home attire. "I didn't know you could train in that." His eyes met hers again. A smirk formed on her lips before she disappeared behind her bedroom door, closing it shut.

_'Shit.'_

* * *

**Poor Kiba :( but I love sassy Hinata don't you? :) Some people may say she's a bit OOC but I don't think she is. Just because a girl is shy doesn't mean she can't bring some attitude when needed! Anyways, thank you all for the reviews, follows and favorites! I'm glad so many people enjoy this story. Don't know when I'll update next but stay tuned!**


	7. A Day at Home

**Hey Y'all! I missed everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update - school's been a bummer but I'm finally on Spring Break so yay :) I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Day at Home**

When sunlight flooded her room the next morning, Hinata fluttered her eyes opened with a groan. Never the greatest morning person, all she wanted to do was stay in bed and not worry about anything for a day. She stuck her arms out of her covers and stretched with a yawn. The cool air of the room hit her and she quickly retreated back underneath her comforter. Even though she hated getting up, what Hinata loved most about the morning were the first few moments that she was awake. In these first few moments, a sort of happy emptiness accompanied her – none of her worries from the previous day had caught up with her yet, letting her relax in peace. But as always, this peace eventually left her. Her mood was dampened when she thought about what happened last night. She thought of Kiba and the look he gave her when she denied him. Hinata frowned and sunk into her sheets even more.

Why had she denied Kiba? Kiba was a great man. He was a loyal and protective person. Surely he would take care of her no matter the circumstances. "I shouldn't have turned him down…" she mumbled to herself. The moment she said this, Hinata knew that she had made the right choice, despite the fact she hurt Kiba in the process. Hinata knew she wouldn't have been a good wife to him. Sure, she would be faithful to him and stay by his side but she wouldn't love him, not the way he loved her. She couldn't subject Kiba to a one-sided marriage. She cared for Kiba too much to put him through that. Turning around so she was looking up, Hinata stared at the ceiling, wondering if she would ever find love.

* * *

Sasuke was up at the crack of dawn, as he always was, getting ready for another day of training. He planned to go back to Lady Tsunade's office – maybe today she would finally offer him a mission. He was sick of being cooped up in Kohona. All of its citizens kept him underneath a microscope, watching every one of his moves. They had warmed up a bit when he married Hinata, the shy village sweetheart, but it didn't stop them from being so nosy in his affairs. He just wished everyone would get over themselves. Sitting on the couch in the living room, Sasuke looked at the time, waiting for a text from his yellow-haired partner, telling him he was ready for another training session. Sasuke sighed and put it down next to him, knowing that staring at the phone wouldn't make a text come any faster. As soon as he did, his phone began to ring. Sasuke picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello" he answered in a low voice.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto answered. His voice was high in energy but he sounded out of breath.

"Why do you sound like that? Did you start training already?"

"Heheh, you could say that." Sasuke could practically hear Naruto grinning over the phone. _'Why is he in such a great mood?' _He wondered. "Look, I just called to tell you I can't train today."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, a little irritated. Although he'd never admit it, he actually looked forward to these training sessions with Naruto.

"Because…I'm uhh...training at home today."

"With what? And where? You barely have a backyard to move around in." Sakura and Naruto still lived in an apartment that barely had enough backyard space to plant a tiny garden. Naruto promised Sakura they'd move to a house as soon as possible but, for now, Sakura didn't mind at all. She enjoyed the coziness of their home.

"Not everyone can move into a perfect house as soon as they get married Teme!" Naruto did have a point. Sasuke and Hinata were given their house by Hinata's father. He preferred them to stay close by the Hyuuga compound but he understood Sasuke's need for privacy.

"You haven't answered my question." Naruto took a breath, ready to respond when Sasuke heard another voice from Naruto's end of the call.

"Narutoooo!" the voice called. "The bath water is getting cold. And you know I hate getting wet by myself."

"'_Training'_ huh?" Sasuke said after hearing the voice. Naruto chuckled softly into the phone.

"Well what I'm doing takes a lot of stamina! I don't know what's been up with her lately. Sakura's been really…frisky if you know what I mean."

"I don't need the details Naruto" Sasuke said with a sigh. Naruto just ignored him.

"Like yesterday she made a big deal over our 4 month anniversary. I didn't even know it was our 4 month anniversary. Who the heck celebrates one of those things?"

"Naruto…" Sasuke interjected but Naruto continued.

"So she cooked me dinner and she had this _amazing _dress on that showed off her boobs and her ass and before I could even finish dinner, she was all over me!"

"Dobe didn't I say no details?"

"And she kept wanting more and more. We've been up the whole night and we're still going! She's wearing me out but how can I say no? I mean, she's practically – "

"NARUTO!" Sasuke shouted into the phone, finally getting Naruto to shut up.

"Geez," Naruto said after a minute. "What's got your panties in a bunch?"

"I just...didn't need to hear all that," Sasuke said with an annoyed tone.

"I think you're just jealous because you're not getting any with Hinata," teased Naruto.

Sasuke's face scrunched up when Naruto said this. He was annoyed but knew Naruto was right to an extent. "Who said I'm not getting any?"

"Sakura did." Naruto retorted.

Sasuke scoffed. "And how would she know?"

"Our wives hang out like all the time. How wouldn't she know?"

_'What has Hinata been telling Sakura?' _Sasuke wondered to himself.

"Anyways, while we were taking a break from our 'training'," Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at his attempt of a joke. "Sakura said that – "

"Naruto!" Sakura's voiced began to shout from Naruto's end of the call. "I'm starting without you!"

"Look man, I gotta go!" Naruto said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Wait but what did – " Sasuke began to ask but Naruto hung up on him before he could finish it. Sasuke was fully annoyed now; not only did he not have a training partner for today, but the fact that Naruto knew he wasn't having sex pissed him off. _'It's not any of the dobe's business anyways.' _He told himself, trying to brush it off. It didn't work though – It bothered him like crazy.

* * *

Hinata finally got up from her bed and managed to make her way to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and took a quick shower. When she got back to her bedroom, she decided to wear and old t-shirt and some sweatpants. Hinata wasn't one for dressing down often but today she wanted to clean up around the house and she didn't want to get any of her good clothes dirty. Done with her morning routine, she walked down the hall and into the living room and found Sasuke sitting on the couch, watching TV. She looked at him weirdly; Sasuke didn't usually watch TV.

"What are you watching?" she asked politely and quietly. He didn't bother to answer her nor look up at her. She mentally sighed and looked at the TV herself. He was watching a news program. _'Of course he would watch the news. He's too serious to watch a cartoon.'_

She walked over to the couch and sat down on the other side of it, leaving a full seat cushion between them. "I haven't watched the news in a while. I used to watch it everyday with father and Hanabi. He always said it was important to keep up with current affairs." Sasuke said nothing. Hinata frowned because her attempts at small talk were failing once again.

"Alright then," she said quietly but loud enough for Sasuke to hear. She got up from the couch and began to move to the kitchen to make breakfast.

"What do you and Sakura talk about?" Sasuke's voice surprised Hinata, causing her to jump up a bit. She poked her head out of the kitchen to look at him. His eyes were on her and a shiver ran down Hinata's spine.

_'I hate the fact he can do that to me.' _ She thought to herself.

"Umm…I don't know. A lot of things." She ducked back into the kitchen, looking around. She thought about making eggs but felt lazy. She started opening and closing cupboards, thinking about what she could eat.

"Do you talk about me with her?" Sasuke asked, still sitting on the couch. Hinata was too busy making noise with the cupboards that she didn't manage to hear Sasuke's question.

"What did you say?" she asked from the kitchen. Sasuke rolled his eyes and moved from the couch and walked to the entranceway of the kitchen.

When Hinata felt his presence near her, she stopped moving about the kitchen and looked at him. "I said, do you and Sakura ever talk about me?"

Hinata shrugged. "I guess so, sometimes," she said softly. "Why are you so interested in what we talk about all of a sudden?"

"Do you ever talk about what we do?" Sasuke leaned against the doorframe. "Rather, what we _don't_ do." Saying this with an annoyed air, Sasuke looked down at the tiles below him. A blush appeared on Hinata's face when he mentioned this.

"N-no not at all," she said, her stutter making its appearance once more. She could barely think about the subject without blushing, let alone talk about it. "You know, I think I'm just going to have cereal for breakfast." She mumbled this to herself as she got a bowl from a cupboard overhead.

"Don't change the subject. Do you talk about sex with Sakura?"

"N-no S-Sasuke, I don't." Her face with red with her blush, surprised at how forward he was being. One of the reasons she got so embarrassed when someone brought up the subject of sex was due to the fact that it made her very curious. She started to think about how it must feel to be caressed by strong hands, how it feels to have pleasure rippling through your body, how it feels when he finally –

"You're lying." Sasuke said simply, interjecting into her thoughts.

"Am not."

"Are to."

"Am not."

"Are to – look, I'm not doing this," Sasuke said shaking his head. "Why would you even mention such a thing to her Hinata? Sakura has a big mouth."

"S-Sasuke think – do you really think I would talk about... s-sex with Sakura?" Sasuke just looked at her. "She tells m-me about her and Naruto all the time but I can't even think about making love without blushing."

Sasuke knew she had a point. He scoffed when he heard her use the term making love. "Making love? Does such a thing exist?" he asked, partly to Hinata and partly to himself.

"It does," Hinata said simply. "It has to."

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke said with a smirk. "How would you know?"

Hinata paused and looked down at the ground. "I-I wouldn't," she began. She slowly brought her head up and looked at Sasuke again. "But how would you know it doesn't?"

He didn't have a comeback for that one. "Whatever." Sasuke looked out of their kitchen window, staring at the sun in the clouds. "I still think you're lying."

Hinata sighed in exasperation. "Okay then Sasuke." She got their lone box of cereal out and poured some into her bowl for herself.

"So…what exactly do you tell her?"

Hinata opened the fridge and grabbed the milk. She thought for a minute before a smile appeared on her face. "I'll tell you on one condition."

"Hmph. And what is that?"

"Why don't you want to… with me?" Hinata omitted the phrase, too shy to say it.

Sasuke just smirked. He knew exactly why but he wasn't about to satisfy Hinata with giving her a response. Instead of answering her question, he pinned her against one of the kitchen walls, leaving her breathless.

"Sasuke!" she said in a whisper, looking up into his dark eyes. He looked down at her, his smirk still on his face. He pressed his body against hers, making Hinata gasp. Their bodies touching just enough for Hinata to feel the outline of Sasuke's chest muscles against her. She thought she could feel something else, which made her blush furiously.

"Uchihas don't make love," he said softly. He leaned his head down to Hinata's ear, whispering ever so quietly.

"We fuck."

Hinata's eyes widened when he said this. His hot breath had caused her whole body to tremble. Part of her wanted to push him away but the other part of her wanted more. She wanted him to devour her, claiming his territory once and for all. She blushed when she realized what was going through her head.

Sasuke knew exactly what he was doing to her and his smirk became more clear. Moving away from Hinata's body, he turned away and exited the kitchen. "You're so annoying," he said as he walked off. He left Hinata dumbstruck with a carton of milk in her hand, a blush on her face, and underwear that were beginning to be uncomfortable to wear.

* * *

After that incident, it was Hinata's turn to be annoyed at Sasuke. He definitely got her back for teasing him the night before and she didn't like it at all. After fixing her bowl of cereal, she went into the living room and sat on the armchair, opposite of couch Sasuke was sitting on. She didn't say anything; she just focused on eating her bowl of cereal. Every so often, Hinata would look up from her bowl and steal glances of Sasuke. His eyes were on the television, now tuned to a random sitcom. He seemed pretty into the show so Hinata assumed he didn't notice her at all.

"I know you're looking at me," he finally said, not turning his eye gaze towards Hinata. Hinata let out a small "eep" sound and quickly looked down at her cereal bowl, now only containing milk. Her cheeks became red once again as the thought of him pushing her against another wall ran through her mind. She tried to calm herself down by sipping on some milk but the thought still lingered.

"Who would've thought that Hyyuga Hinata is a pervert?" Hearing this, Hinata started to choke in surprise. Sasuke's head was now turned, facing Hinata, with his all too usual smirk plastered on his face.

"I-I'm not a pervert!" Hinata exclaimed after her choking fit ended.

"Then why are your cheeks still red?" Hinata touched her cheek with her free hand and felt the warmth radiating from it.

"I-I d-don't know," she said softly. She didn't dare look at Sasuke. She knew if she did, she would end up blushing even more.

"Oh, I think you know," Sasuke said in a seductive, low tone. Just the sound of his voice when Sasuke spoke those words made Hinata tremble a bit. She couldn't help but look at him. When she did, her entire face went red. He smirked again, which made Hinata angry. Getting up from the couch in a huff, she quickly moved into the kitchen to get away from Sasuke.

"You're s-such a jerk!" she exclaimed as she walked away.

Hinata decided to avoid Sasuke for the rest of the day. She couldn't deny that he had gotten to her but it bothered her that she had let him have such an influence on her behavior. She calmed down as she started cleaning around the house, starting with her bedroom. She cleaned slowly, taking her time to get everything looking right once again. She cleaned all the rooms in the house except Sasuke's room and the living room, where Sasuke was still sitting.

_'Is he really going to sit there and watch TV all day?' _she asked herself as she turned away from the living after seeing he was still sitting there. It was unusual for Sasuke to sit and not do anything for an entire day.

_'I guess Naruto's busy with something. Sasuke should get more friends.' _

Finished with the house, Hinata went into the backyard. She started to garden but only did so for a little while. Sighing, she looked up at the clouds. It was a sunny day in Konoha and Hinata didn't feel like staying at home.

_'Maybe I could see what Sakura's up to,' _she told herself. However, she quickly threw out that idea.

_'If Naruto's busy today, that could only mean that Sakura has him tied up with something.' _Hinata blushed at the quick thought that Sakura might literally have Naruto tied up at this particular moment. Hinata thought about every person she could see in Konoha but ruled them all out for one reason or another.

Disappointed in her lack of social options, Hinata decided it would just be best to stay in the backyard and enjoy some of the sun while she could. She began to walk along the perimeter of the backyard Sasuke and her shared. She first walked past her small garden before walking near Sasuke's training space. When they had first moved in, Hinata had let Sasuke commandeer most of the backyard for his space because he really wanted it. She didn't want to start out their life together making him angry by saying no. Hinata sighed, looking back at the situation. _'I want a bigger garden. He barely uses his space anyways.' _

Hinata paused in front of an old training dummy Sasuke had set up to practice his close range attacks on. She examined it for a minute, studying its features. Even though it had only been in the backyard for 7 months, it was already starting to show the effects of sun bleaching.

She reached out to touch it, which caused it to rock backwards for a second, quickly coming back to its resting position. For no particular reason, she did this again, hitting the dummy a bit harder. She started to hit the dummy repeatedly, hitting it harder every time. Before she knew it, Hinata was practicing full-blown attacks on the dummy in front of her, giving herself quite the workout.

"You look like you're having fun." Startled, Hinata quickly turned around and attacked without realizing what she was doing. The source of the voice luckily dodged her attack in time, leaving Hinata with an angry look in her eyes.

"Y-you can't just do that to people!" she exclaimed, huffing and puffing a bit. "I could've hurt you!"

"No you couldn't have," Sasuke said with a cool voice. "Not with that fighting stance anyways."

Hinata looked down at the way she was standing but saw nothing wrong with it. "My stance is fine thank you," she said defensively.

He shrugged. "If you say so." He eyed her up and down with a questioning look. "What are you doing anyways?"

Hinata thought about this for a while. She wasn't really sure how she ended up fighting a dummy in front of her. She just looked at him and shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess my frustration got the best of me."

"Sexual frustration?" Sasuke asked with a cheeky smirk. Hinata moved to slap him but he quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist. "I'm sorry! It was just a joke."

Hinata's eyes widen when she heard the words come out of his mouth. Sasuke never apologized to anyone.

"What did you say?" she asked in a surprised tone. Sasuke just looked at her. "I'm not going to repeat myself," He said, letting go of her wrist. They looked at each other for a while, neither one not knowing what to say. Sasuke finally broke the silence.

"Do you need a training partner?"

Hinata looked at him quizzically. "Huh?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Again, I'm not going to repeat myself." Hinata rolled her eyes back, getting annoyed with his attitude.

"I'm surprised Naruto doesn't get sick of your attitude. It's annoying." Hinata covered her mouth when she said this. She meant to keep this thought to herself but had managed to voice her opinion right in front of Sasuke

He just looked at her and Hinata felt even worse. She started to blurt out a response but Sasuke happened to get his words out first. "I'm sure he does," he said plainly. "But I can't help who I am."

"Doesn't mean you have to be a jerk." Hinata looked down at the ground quickly. Apparently her thoughts didn't want to stay in her mind any longer.

"I don't know how to be anything else." His response made Hinata look up at him. She looked into his eyes and for a second, she thought she saw a hint of sadness in them. Whether or not her eyes were playing tricks on her, the sadness quickly passed.

"Do you want to train or not?" He shifted his weight while standing, waiting for Hinata's response.

She thought for a minute, wondering if she should take him up on his offer. She knew Sasuke was a great ninja and could probably teach her some new things, considering she was very eager to learn. What she wasn't sure of was if she could take being around him for a long time without wanting to punch him for being too mean.

"Sure," Hinata finally said, a smile slowly forming on her face. "It would be nice to train with someone new. Plus Shino's on a mission and Kiba…" Her voice trailed off at the thought of Kiba. Her smile went away as she thought about hurting him all over again. She still felt bad that she broke his heart.

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk when Kiba's name made Hinata's voice trail off. There was a small part of him that felt for her but for the most part, he loved the fact she turned the guy down. "You know, if the cocky bastard didn't annoy me so much, I'd feel a bit bad for him. Why'd you turn him down anyways?"

"Because Kiba and I are friends and even though I find him sweet, I just don't – wait a minute!" Hinata looked at Sasuke with hard eyes. "You were spying on us! I knew it!" Sasuke didn't react, keeping his eye gaze on her. "Why were you spying on us?"

Not bothering to answer Hinata's question, Sasuke moved his hands to the bottom of his shirt. "Sasuke I know you can hear me! Why were you spying on us?" In one swift motion, Sasuke took off his shirt, revealing his well-defined chest.

"Are you even listening to me? Why did you…" Hinata trailed off as her eyes moved to his clad chest. Now Hinata knew that Sasuke had a handsome body (she had heard a lot about it from Sakura). It wasn't the first time she had seen him without a shirt but it was the first time she was taking in more than a glance. Her eyes didn't know what to do – if she openly ogled him, he'd think she was a pervert but if she moved her eyes down and blushed, Sasuke would know that she liked what she saw. Hinata tried diverting her eyes but that failed. Her cheeks became hot with her blush as embarrassment washed over her. _'Stop staring Hinata! Pull yourself together!' _She scolded herself.

Meanwhile, Sasuke just smirked at her, amused at the sight of her looking at his body.

"Cat got your tongue?" He asked, his smirk almost changing into a smile. Sasuke was enjoying this too much.

"Shut u-up," Hinata muttered, looking away from him. "Let's just get this over with."

"As you wish," Sasuke said simply. Swiftly, he moved and attacked Hinata without warning. She was knocked off of her feet by the attack, landing flat on her backside. "I-I wasn't even ready!" she protested, looking at Sasuke from the ground. "Well, I was just doing what you asked…princess." A smirk reappeared on Sasuke's face; he knew the term would get to her and he couldn't pass up an opportunity to stir her up.

Hinata's eyes flamed with anger when she heard Sasuke call her princess. She absolutely despised whenever someone called her that. Quickly, she hopped on her feet and proceeded to attack Sasuke with multiple hits. Sasuke retaliated with no hesitation, meeting her attacks with his own.

"You're better than I remember," Sasuke said in-between attacks. "Guess that training's been paying off."

"Thanks," Hinata said. "Wish I could say the same for you." A small smile appeared on her face, knowing she was poking at Sasuke's ego. The statement irked Sasuke, making him come at Hinata even harder.

The pair fought for a while but neither of them could make the other one back down. The finally stopped when they came face-to-face, both of them holding the other's fists. "Ready to give up?" Sasuke asked cheekily. "Never," Hinata said back in-between her short breaths.

Sasuke just chuckled and let go of Hinata's fists first. Hinata took in a couple deep breaths when they broke apart. "You…you certainly have a lot of stamina," she managed to say as she gained her composure.

The fight appeared not to take anything out of Sasuke. His breathing was regular and he looked like he had just taken a stroll around the block. "Of course I do," Sasuke said back. "I could go all night if I wanted to."

Hinata's eyes widened when he said this. Sasuke merely smirked and picked up his shirt, walking back into the house as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Sasuke started to cook dinner while Hinata took a short shower to clean up. When she reemerged in the kitchen, the smell of something savory met her nose. She walked up to the stove where Sasuke was and looked into the pot. When she saw ramen cooking, she looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"I can't always cook a three course meal Hinata," Sasuke explained. Hinata walked away with a shrug and went outside on their porch to get in some final rays of sunlight before darkness greeted them once again. She didn't stay outside for long since the sun was almost underneath the horizon. About to walk through the door of their house, a letter that was underneath their welcome mat stopped Hinata. She looked at the letter weirdly but decided to pick it up anyways.

_'No one usually leaves letters underneath our mat outside. I wonder where it's from.' _

Hinata walked in examining the creamy white envelope. The envelope had nothing written on the outside of it so she decided to open it up. When she read the contents, her face went pale. Sasuke had finished setting the table when he looked up to see Hinata's face.

"What is it?" He had never seen her look so terrified before.

"My father…he wants us to come visit. Tomorrow."

* * *

**I hope you all liked that chapter! I had plans to extend this chapter to make it even longer but I really wanted to update because I haven't in over a month so you'll see what happens in the next chapter! I appreciate everyone who continues to read my story; it means a lot to me :) Please Review :) :) And remember to play, laugh, grow, and love. ~lovelyangelxox**


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